Lucky Thirteen
by SiriusGuiltyPleasure
Summary: Love isn't always easy to figure out by yourself. With help from your best mate though, it can't go wrong. Can it? SBOC. Slight JPLE. Recently completed.
1. Overheard

Chapter 1- Overheard

Renee Gray surveyed her reflection in the Gryffindor locker room. Same tan face, same gray eyes. Only difference was the bit of frizz in her normally wavy auburn hair, but even that wasn't bad considering she'd just come from Quidditch practice and it was all kinds of humid outside. That was the kind of thing she had picked up from Tarin White, her best mate, over the years; how humidity affected hair, how to deal with breakouts, and what's best for a broken heart. Now if only Renee was the type who cared about that stuff.

As she left the locker room, Renee heard her captain and fellow sixth year, James Potter, and his best mate, Sirius Black, talking through the vent connecting the locker rooms. Ordinarily, she would've kept going, but she happened to hear Tarin's name.

"Mate, I'm telling you, Tarin is finer than frog hair," Sirius said.

Renee rolled her eyes, not surprised. She thought about leaving, but knew Tarin would want to hear exactly what the Sirius Black had to say about her. She stifled a sigh as she stayed to eavesdrop.

"Tarin White?" James asked.

"That's the one," Sirius said, "She's the, well maybe not the one, but she's definitely special. There's something about her… She's different, not like the others."

James snickered. "I bet it doesn't hurt that she's 'finer than frog hair'? What does that even mean?"

"Really, mate, I've never met another girl like her," Sirius said, sounding more earnest than was his norm.

Renee could almost hear James rolling his eyes as he said, "Yeah, and you'll be shagging her in a broom closet by tomorrow, Pads."

"Why, Prongs, I never!" Sirius cried in mock outrage.

They both laughed before Sirius said, "But seriously, pun intended, I'm going to ask her to come to our game this weekend. You know, tell her she can be my good luck or whatever."

Renee couldn't help it, eavesdropping wasn't her forte; she snorted. She clapped a hand over her mouth as the blokes were quiet. She heard them get up and walk away. Hoping they hadn't heard her, she left the locker room. No such luck, they were waiting for her at the door.

She tried to play it off. "Wow, guys, did you hear McKinnon going on in there? Merlin was she loud."

They gave her the infamous 'Marauder look'. It was supposed to be mischievously terrifying, but it wasn't working on Renee. "Yeah right, Gray. Everyone knows you're always the last one out of the locker room. We just want to know how much you heard and why you thought it concerned you."

She rolled her eyes again at his tone, but didn't see any harm in enlightening them. "I heard you guys talking about how 'fine' Tarin is, and I just thought I'd let you know you're going about it completely wrong. You'll never get her to give you the time of day by treating her like all your other fan girls."

James grinned. "What would you know about it, Renee? Have you, like dear Padfoot here, been trying to shag her in a broom closet too?"

Renee laughed. "You know it. You know me, can't get enough. No, you pea-brain, she's my best friend. So I kind of know a thing or two about her various romances. You know, Sirius, it wouldn't hurt to know a little something about girls before you try to shag them in a broom closet."

Sirius' whole expression had changed when she said they were best friends. "You're her best friend? You mean, you know everything about her? You can help me out?"

Renee mumbled under her breath, "Hey look, maybe he's not as dumb as he looks," While distantly noting that he had never sounded so sincere for anything other than Quidditch before.

"Sorry, didn't catch that, Renee dearest," Sirius said, playing nice now that he thought Renee could help him.

Renee smiled up at him sweetly. "I said, Sirius dearie, that I'm not going to help you get into my best friend's trousers."

She smiled to herself as she walked back up to the castle. Hopefully Sirius and James weren't following and Sirius would just give up to go back to his fan girls.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Wow. Long time no see, huh guys? I haven't published anything in ohhhhh about twenty jillion years.  
>But I've been working on this story for ever. Like I think it's about 2 years right now? I didn't want to be a jerk and get half way through a story again (sorry about that, really), so I got this story completely and utterly written. All that's left is to type up the last couple chapters. And if I get enough reviews then I'll make sure to do that quickly ;)<strong>

**On that topic, actually, here's my thoughts for this story; since it's already written I can really update whenever I feel like it. I could put them all up in a day or I could just do it whenever I remember. However, I don't want to just put the whole story up, so I'm just going to go based off how many reviews I get. I'm not going to be silly and be all "I'll only update if I get twenty reviews!" but there's no point in publishing this if nobody's going to pay it any attention. So, if you're interested in reading more after this very short introduction/prologue, please let me know. Now that I have the story written, I could care less if it gets published. THE POWER IS IN YOUR HANDS.**

**Ahem. Anyway. Thanks for taking the time to read this and yeah. Tell me what you think, good or bad :)**

**-Nikky  
><strong>


	2. Three Things

Chapter 2- Three Things

The next morning, Renee was in a good mood; they were having bacon for breakfast. She considered fighting her way through the throng of blokes that surrounded Tarin at the Hufflepuff table to tell her about her conversation with Sirius, but decided against it. If she did, Black would be the only thing she heard about for weeks. Instead, she made small talk with her dorm mates, Lily, Alice, and Mary. Lily, of course, was complaining about James.

Just as Renee was able to tune out her Potter-rant of the hour, Lily screeched, "Merlin, he won't leave me bloody well alone!"

She looked up; sure enough, Black and Potter were struggling through fan girls towards them. Renee had a bad feeling about this; Sirius didn't normally accompany James on his many endeavors to get Lily to go out with him.

While James attempted to get a date with Lily (again), Sirius somehow managed to grab a seat by Renee. "So, Renee, you ran off before I had a chance to properly ask; will you please help figure out how to get Tarin to take me seriously?"

She couldn't resist. "Seriously, Sirius? How could you be taken as any thing but serious?"

He laughed his bark-like laugh. "Ah, the name pun. I can just tell we're going to get along smashingly."

She narrowed her eyes. "Well, since we're so chummy, I'll give it to you straight: you are my teammate, and while we're on the pitch, I have complete faith in you, but off the pitch, I don't trust you as far as I can throw you, with girls in general, and especially not when it comes to my best mate."

"All right, I might've deserved that, but this is different, I promise." He said earnestly.

She sighed, exhausted even though she hadn't even finished her bacon. "Look, Black, I want to believe you. We've been teammates for over four years and you're a cool bloke. But this is Tarin we're talking about. She cries for a week over every guy she talks to, and I want to spare her a few extra tears if I can."

Just then, Lily stood up and yelled, "For the hundredth time to-bloody-day, Potter, I will not bloody go out with you!"

As she stormed out, the guys returned to their normal seats further down the table. Before they left, Black threw her a very obvious 'I'll see you later' look.

Not even commenting on the everyday occurrence that is James and Lily fighting, Alice asked Renee, "So, what did Sirius want?"

Inwardly groaning, she replied, "Oh nothing. He was just a little confused and I was clearing it up for him."

Seeing that they weren't buying her vague answer and not wanting to stick around to be interrogated, Renee bolted before they could stop her.

Over the next few days, it was a lot of the same thing; Sirius pestered Renee, she said no, and found a way to escape. By far the most interesting attempt was when he sent a house elf to serenade her, begging her for help. Lily, Alice, and Mary were under the impression that he liked her, even though Renee denied all such rumours.

Even Tarin, who was normally too swept up in her own boy drama to see anything outside of it, noticed. She came and found her Thursday night when Renee was hiding in the library.

"Hey, Nay-Nay," Tarin said, using her childhood nickname for Renee.

Renee grinned up at her. "Hey Tare-bear. How's life in Hufflepuff?"

Tarin groaned and flopped into a seat by her. "Sooo boring. Why are all blokes either arseholes or total bores?"

"Just because they can't keep up with you doesn't make them boring, hon." Renee said with a teasing grin.

Tarin pouted. "Does too. But anyway, that's so not what I came to you about. What's this I hear about you and a certain Sirius Black, resident sex god?"

"I thought you were the sex god?" Renee asked, trying to distract her.

"I'm the sex goddess. Merlin, get it right. And stop trying to change the subject, or so help me, I will tell your mom what happened last summer!" Tarin threatened.

Renee sighed. "Absolutely, positively, nothing is going on between Black and I. We've just been talking about the game this weekend."

Tarin narrowed her light blue eyes. "Don't even try to lie to me, Renee Marie Gray. You don't talk to resident sex gods about Quidditch. You certainly don't get serenaded by resident sex gods about Quidditch."

Renee pretended to swoon. "Fine, you've found me out. Siri-poo and I are in love and we're going to elope this summer and come back to school with bunches and bunches of adorable little Sirius Jr's."

Tarin wrinkled her nose. "Ew. That's just weird. And stop distracting me! Tell me what's going on!"

She sighed again. "Fine, spoilsport. If you must know, he's been talking to me about you. And I've been telling him to go away because I don't want him to hurt you!"

As usual, Tarin ignored Renee's concerns and squealed, "Oh my Merlin! No WAY! Sirius Black, the Sirius Black likes me? Eek!"

Renee rolled her eyes; this is exactly why she hadn't told her before. "That's great, Tarin. Now you can talk to him, instead of me having to."

That brought her up short. "Wait, no. We can't let him know that that I know yet. Please, please, please talk to him for me, Renee. Just until he starts talking to me himself."

"Not happening, Tarin. You know the only reason he likes you is because he wants to drag you off to one of the broom closets he practically inhabits." Renee said.

Tarin denied it, of course. "Nuh-uh! He's so much deeper than that."

Renee rolled her eyes, again. "Yeah, and you've talked to him what, for a whole five minutes? I've been his team mate and house mate for almost six years. I know him. He only pretends to be deep so he can shag more girls."

Tarin looked outraged. "That is so not true-"

Renee interrupted her, suddenly just not in the mood to listen to Tarin gush about the next guy who would 'break her heart'. "You know what? I give up. I'll talk to him. And when he breaks your heart, don't say I didn't warn you."

Tarin squealed and threw herself at Renee. "Thank you, thank you, thank you! I promise, it'll be perfect. Oh my gosh, Sirius bloody Black! He's sooooo fit."

Renee's eyes were starting to hurt from rolled them so much; Tarin was quite bothersome to listen to when she started gushing. "Yeah, yeah, sex god, blah, blah, blah. I've got Quidditch practice, I'll see you around." And she left the library before she had to listen to her go on more.

She ended up being early to practice and the only people there were James and Sirius. As soon as she entered the pitch she saw Sirius dive towards her on his broom, no doubt so he could ask her yet again. She stopped him before he could start. "Hey Sirius, let's go talk for a second before practice starts."

Looking surprised - lately she had done everything possible to avoid him, he followed her to the stands.

Renee took a deep breath before she just told him, flat out. "I'll help you-"

Sirius interrupted her with a triumphant "Yes!" and a quick bear hug. Laughing, she asked to be released.

When he obliged, she continued. "I'll help you, but I've got to be honest; I've got my doubts. She's been my best friend for years, so it's kind of hard for me to tell you exactly what will make her fall for you. I mean, how do I know you won't break her heart?"

He nodded soberly. "I get where you're coming from. But I promise you, I won't hurt her."

Then his expression lit up. "I can't believe you're going to help me!" he crowed triumphantly.

She smiled at him sadly, still not convinced that she was making a smart decision. He was oblivious to her torn feelings though. "I can't believe it. Tarin White! She's so amazing. Such a free spirit. Rules don't stand a chance with her. She's not like the boys and I, breaking the rules just because we can. It's like… Rules just can't keep up with her."

Something unpleasant twinged in Renee's stomach, a feeling she couldn't quite identify. She didn't say anything though.

Sirius went on. "And she's so smart." Here, she gave him a dubious look. He noticed this and laughed before explaining, "Well, maybe not in the way people normally think. But I know people who are geniuses in a book way, but they have no common sense, none. Tarin, though, she's amazing with people. I don't know a single other person who can make every bloke fall in love with them and not have every girl hate her for it. That takes intelligence, just not the type they can teach in a classroom. Not to mention a hell of a lot of charisma."

The twinge in her stomach had grown into a knot, and she could almost identify it, it was on the tip of her tongue. Still, she said nothing.

Sirius, oblivious as ever, continued gushing. "And her eyes! Now I know everyone goes on about them, because they're beautiful, but that's not all. People say that your eyes are windows to your soul, and with Tarin, I can actually believe it. She's so clear and open, and, well, beautiful. I would believe every word she said to me, because a person that innocent and honest just can't lie to you."

The knot was writhing now. She could identify the feeling now: shame. But not shame for herself, shame for Tarin. Why was she ashamed of her best mate, for the first time ever? She wasn't sure.

Trying to ignore the burning feeling in her gut, she said, "I think that's the most serious, pun intended, I've ever seen you, Sirius."

He grinned at her, his face so boyishly earnest and happy. He hugged her again. "Thank you, Renee. Thank you so much for helping me not make an arse out of myself."

Just then, the knot in her stomach felt like it erupted in flames. She gasped and tried to act normal again, but her gut made it difficult. "That's, er, great, Sirius. Er, find me tomorrow some time. I have to go. Tell James that I, er, got sick."

With that, she ran off, and kept running. She ran, trying to outrun the burning shame in her. When that didn't work, she ran while she sorted out why she was so full of shame.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: The ending was a little froofy, but I wanted to get those three things out there. It kind of sounded OOC for the Sirius in my head, so let me just explain it, in my head. Basically, Sirius has never been, well, serious, about a girl until now. But for some inexplicable reason, he's fallen head over heels for Tarin. And so it comes out that he's a closet romantic. SHH, don't tell the guys!**

**Ahem. Anyway, there's a couple little spin-off stories that I've been considering writing, based off of stuff brought up in this story. I could write something about what happened last summer, that Tarin mentioned. Or a different version of these three things, that will fit later...  
><strong>

**Anyway, again. Thanks for the couple of reviews I got. I'd really like to get more this time, but I know just a single chapter story isn't much to go off of yet... So I hope to get more reviews this time. GR. But really, tell me what y'all think :)**

**-Nikky  
><strong>


	3. Stubborn Conceit

Chapter 3- Stubborn Conceit

Renee thought as she ran. She and Tarin had been best mates since birth pretty much, growing up as next door neighbors. Being the only witches in a Muggle neighborhood had brought them close and before they went to Hogwarts neither one of them had many other friends. Over the years they had grown apart a little bit, but they were still good mates. Never before had she been ashamed of their friendship. She wasn't really sure what to make of her feelings, so she tried to at least figure out where they were coming from.

She recalled the first hint of shame came when Sirius described Tarin's good traits. Thinking about the three things Sirius had said, she realized she didn't agree. Tarin defied rules because she was cute and innocent-looking enough to get away with it; plus if she needed to, she knew she could call on a whole legion of boy toys to defend her 'honor'. The second one, her being able to keep so many friends, might be true, but that could also be considered manipulation. And Tarin wasn't innocent. She lied to boys, played games with their hearts, and flirted shamelessly. Looking at it objectively, Renee could admit that she wasn't innocent at all.

But, they were still best mates. Tarin wasn't all that Sirius thought she was, but she was still a good person. Renee was absolutely certain of this, so why was she still ashamed? Sure, Sirius overestimated her, but pretty much every bloke did. Besides, isn't it a sign of love to be blind to the others faults?

That's when Renee realized what the source of her shame was; thinking about love had clued her in. Sirius liked Tarin more than he'd ever liked any other girl (or at least that Renee had ever seen), but Tarin was acting the same as with every other bloke; over time she would lose interest and move on, but Sirius didn't strike her as the type who would move on so easily. He had with his fan girls, but anyone with eyes could tell he never even really liked them. Renee was worried about Sirius getting hurt, now that he actually seemed to care about a girl.

This revelation shocked her; she had always protected Tarin from other blokes, but now she had to protect some bloke from Tarin.

Renee could deal with this, though; her best mate was still a good person, just too fickle. She pretended not to notice the voice in the back of her mind whispering that wasn't the biggest problem.

Renee walked back up to the castle, happy in her forced ignorance of the truth. However, she figured that Sirius deserved some warning for what he was trying to get into, and she resolved to warn him even though it'd be awkward.

The next morning, Sirius was waiting for Renee in the Common Room. They left together and sat out of earshot of the others at breakfast.

After fiddling with her toast for awhile, Renee finally gathered her courage. "Okay, Sirius, this is going to be awkward and you probably wont even listen to me, but I have to try."

Sirius gave her a funny look, but let her continue.

"I know you're head over heels bonkers about Tarin, but I have to warn you; Tarin's not so much into commitment. Sure, she'll be great at first, but then she'll get bored, move on, and leave you behind."

Now he just had to interrupt. "That's cute," he said with a cocky grin, "But, babe, I'm Sirius Black. Maybe she got bored with those other blokes, but not with me. I'll keep her plenty entertained. Don't worry your pretty little head."

Renee laughed, but persisted. "Really, Sirius, Tarin doesn't seem anymore into you than any other bloke she's been with. You'll end up just being a flavour of the week."

She could almost see his ego deflate infinitesimally, but he recovered quickly. "Really, Gray, I think I can take care of myself."

Suddenly, Renee was angry. For years she had been warning Tarin about various blokes, only to be ignored. Now, after realizing it was her best mate causing problems and trying to help a bloke, she was being ignored again.

Well, she was done. If they weren't going to listen to her, then why even bother? They were big kids; Sirius was right, he could take care of himself.

"Fine," she said acidly, "But when I end up being right, don't come crying to me."

He beamed at her, looking more angelic than anybody that ticked her off that easily had a right to look. "Does that mean you'll still help me?"

She wanted so badly to say that if he could take care of himself then he could figure Tarin out himself, but looking at his earnest, hopeful expression, she knew she couldn't say no.

"What do you want to know?"

* * *

><p><strong>I know this was short, but it was necessary in order to get inside Renee's head (which, incidentally, isn't the easiest for me to right, so I'm not sure I did it well), and to follow the outline I laid out. The next chapter probably won't be much better, but it too will be necessary, though for a different reason. The chapter after that will be better hopefully.<strong>

**SORRY this was so much later than the first two. I know I swore I wouldn't let this story like that but I just... School got in the way. And well, I don't wanna be one of _those_ authors, but I really just don't feel very motivated to update whenever I feel like nobody's reading it. It feels like a waste of time and effort. So please, if you have read this far, REVIEW. If you don't like it and you don't plan on reading more, LET ME KNOW! I want to know what I can do to improve as a writer. **

**Anyway, again, REVIEW!**

**-Nikky  
><strong>


	4. Facade

Chapter 4- Façade

Sirius grinned and started bombarding her with questions. Most of them were about Tarin, but at some point they ended up talking about Quidditch, then music, then an essay that was due in D.A.D.A.. When the bell rang for the end of breakfast, they finally looked up from their conversation, surprised to find themselves nearly alone in the Great Hall.

Laughing, they jumped up from the table and went in their separate directions; Renee to Care of Magical Creatures, Sirius to Muggle Studies. Renee had class with Tarin, who wasted no time in asking how her conversation with Sirius went.

Surprised, Renee asked how she knew that they had talked, trying not to look guilty while praying that Tarin didn't know that Renee had tried to warn Sirius away.

Tarin laughed as she answered. "I don't think there was a single person at breakfast who didn't notice you guys talking. Sirius always sits by the other Marauders."

Renee groaned. "And what does the general population think is the cause?"

Tarin giggled. "Mostly that you two are madly in love."

She sighed. "Our peers are so predictable. Argh, this is all your fault, you know."

Tarin laughed harder. "It's just too funny. I never thought Hogwarts kids were that stupid. I mean, you and Sirius? That just doesn't even make sense."

Renee tried to pretend that her comment didn't bother her, choosing to laugh it off and answer Tarin's initial question. "Yeah, anyway, it went all right I guess. He mainly just asked a bunch of questions about you."

Tarin launched into a bunch of questions of her own, making Renee remember every minute facial expression of his. She grudgingly answered her questions, though the day was starting to feel like one long interrogation session.

Care of Magical Creatures passed torturously slow, but luckily she had a free period after, so she was able to get away from her interrogators. Or so she thought. On her way to the library to study, she was accosted by a group of Sirius' most avid fan girls, led by none other than the leader of his fan club, Sydney Powell. It was obvious they were trying to look intimidating, though their high heels, fluffy hair, and eyes made up to look doe-eyed slightly ruined the effect. **(QUESTION: Is this what they did in the Marauder's time? I don't really know) **

Not putting it past them to resort to violence to protect 'their man', Renee stealthily drew her wand and politely asked what they wanted.

They all sneered, though Powell actually deigned to answer her. "Why're you dating Sirius? He is _ours._"

Renee laughed, then laughed even harder when they narrowed their made up eyes at her. Finally calming down enough to reply, she said, "There are so many things wrong with that statement. First off, though he has probably shagged all of you in a broom closet, that doesn't actually mean he belongs to you, or even that he likes any of you. Secondly, who says we're dating? We just had an innocent conversation that does not in any way concern you," That wasn't strictly true, they would probably be very concerned if they knew Sirius was head over heels for Tarin, but she didn't feel the need to inform them of this, "So, if you'll excuse me, I have studying to do. Toodles."

And she escaped before they had a chance to stop her. When she was in the library, she knew she was safe; they probably hasn't even heard of a library.

After a peaceful hour spent doing research for her D.A.D.A. essay, she had completely forgotten about her confrontation with the fan girls. Happily walking into the Great Hall, she snagged the empty seat across from Sirius. Lunch went pretty much along the same lines as breakfast, before Renee caught sight of all the fan girls huddling together, glaring her way while whispering among themselves. She groaned as she remembered their conversation.

Sirius shot her a questioning look and she answered his unasked question. "Well, I had a little run in with your fan girls." Seeing that his confused expression remained, she continued. "See, most of Hogwarts observed our conversation this morning and is under the impression that we are dating. Your oh so adoring fans were marking their territory."

He laughed uproariously, his bark-like laugh echoing through the Great Hall. His stalkers were split between googly-eyed over his laugh and glaring at Renee for being the one to make him laugh. After giving them disdainful looks, she glared at Sirius. "Mate, do you mind? Your fan girls are probably planning how to kill me with high heels as we speak."

He slowly calmed down, but grinned at her. "Sorry, just the way you worded it. But, er, right. So, are you encouraging this rumour, or should we discourage it?"

"Oh I'm encouraging them, because I secretly want you to myself. Tarin can just sod off," Tarin quipped.

He laughed again, though not as loudly as before. "Oh, Renee dear, don't joke about these things. You got my hopes up for a second there."

Laughing, she went on soberly. "Right, so I'd rather not die by high heel, if you don't mind. So, Sirius, I'm afraid I'm going to have to break up with you."

"Awh, but we were having such a jolly time." He said with a pout. "Okay, okay. Let's do this."

Winking at him, she jumped out of her seat, she screeched, "That is the fifth bloody time today, Sirius!"

Playing is part smoothly, he calmly said, "Awh, babe, you know you're the only girl for me."

"Save it, Black," she yelled, putting on a show for the many observers, "Maybe I fell for your lies before, but not again! We are OVER!"

He feinted surprise and tried to pull her in for an embrace, but she slapped him. "Keep your hands off me, jerk!"

And with that finally, she ran out of the Great Hall, her hands concealing the tears she didn't have. She could hear the voices buzzing behind her as she left, and grinning to herself, she headed to the kitchens to wait for Sirius to meet her after dinner.

* * *

><p><strong>There ya go, a nice decent-length chapter. Most of it was filler, just kind of fleshing out the story and showing more of Renee's characterher relationship with people. Next, a little time span, a sleepover, and maybe some explanations. **

**Also, I got quite a few favorites and story alerts, but only one review. Please?:/**

**-Nikky  
><strong>


	5. Sleepover

Chapter 5- Sleepover

Applauding themselves on a job well done with their fake break up, Sirius and Renee decided to meet in the kitchens after dinner from now on to discuss Sirius' game plan. Or lack thereof, considering he had yet to even talk to Tarin.

"Honestly, Sirius," Renee cried, "Just put on your big girl knickers and talk to her! She won't bite."

He attempted to put on a show of bravado. "I'm not scared-" but quickly gave that up. "What if I look like an idiot?"

She laughed. "Oh, you will. In fact, I'm kind of looking forward to laughing at you. But Tarin will think it's 'so sweet' and 'adorable' that you're nervous."

He rolled his eyes. "Yeah, because that makes me feel _so _much better."

She finally convinced him to just talk to her, and they parted with a few agreements on each side. She would find Tarin and explain the whole break up fiasco, then tomorrow Sirius would start talking to her. Also, they decided that it'd be easier to explain to their year mates that they hadn't really been dating.

Saying goodbye to Sirius, Renee set off to find Tarin. However, it ended up being Tarin who found Renee, demanding an explanation.

After Renee explained the whole ordeal, Tarin laughed. "You guys went to all that trouble just for a few stupid girls? Er, why?"

"Mate, they were probably planning to impale me with their talons and heels. I was bloody scared." Renee said defensively.

When Tarin started laughing again, Renee hastily changed the subject. "So, that fool is finally going to talk to you tomorrow."

That instantly made he squeal. "Eek! No way! Why didn't you warn me? What am I going to wear?"

Renee rolled her eyes. "Considering tomorrow is Tuesday and we have lessons? I'd recommend your uniform. And what am I doing now, if not warning you?"

Tarin for once looked mollified. "You're right. Sorry. Thanks for the heads up. I'll talk to you later, I'm going to go get ready for tomorrow."

With a quick hug, she ran off towards the Hufflepuff common room. Laughing at her best mate, Renee went to clear things up with Lily, Alice, and Mary.

The next morning, Renee was cornered by none other than James Potter, or that 'annoying toe rag', as Lily spat out when he approached them. As he practically dragged Renee out of the Common Room, she asked, "What can I do for you, Captain?"

He grinned down at her. "Oh, not much, just wanted to chat."

"Is that why you kidnapped me? Couldn't you have just talked to me at breakfast?" She complained, only half kidding.

"I figured some people might not appreciate this information being known by the general public," He said, growing somber, "Why are you helping Sirius? I mean, he doesn't exactly have the best reputation when it comes to girls."

Renee stared pointedly at her arm, which he was still gripping; he dropped it, then she answered. "Well, James, it's rather a long story. I assume he told you about the whole fake break up thing?"

He nodded, then added, "He also said you're helping him with White."

"Right well, mainly because I think he's genuinely serious, pun intended, about Tarin. I don't think he'd intentionally hurt her and I'm hoping if I help, he won't unintentionally either." And she left it at that, not saying anything about the whole being-ashamed-of-her-best-mate thing. She didn't really think Mr. Big Shot Loyal Gryffindor would be cool with that.

"Yeah, that makes positively no sense. But whatever." Then he switched gears, a boyish smile now on his face. "Now, what I really want to know; will you help me with my darling Lilyflower?"

I laughed. "Boy, do you think I'm running a dating service? No!"

Seeing the truly heartbroken expression that replaced the hope he had before, she softened. "Ugh. Fine. But only when this whole Sirius and Tarin thing has calmed down. I can't do everything at the same time. And I'm not making any guarantees, anyway. Tarin's my best mate, so I know her best, which will help. I don't know Lily nearly as well."

He beamed and hugged her. Bloody hard. When he finally put her down, he asked her to sit with him and the other Marauders.

She shook her head. "Thanks, but no thanks. Sirius and I just 'broke up', remember? I don't want his fan girls to get all territorial again. I'll see you around then, I suppose."

With that, she continued on to the Great Hall, where she enjoyed an interrogation-free breakfast.

The rest of the week went by quickly. Sirius and Tarin were talking, pretty much non-stop. Renee got caught in the middle, both of them gushing about each other to her. She was scared for when they actually started dating; they hadn't even gone on a date yet.

Soon it was Saturday and time for the Quidditch math. Tarin was supporting Gryffindor, showing the first sign of Quidditch enthusiasm since Renee had known her. It was pretty obvious who was the cause of her sudden interest in the sport, as even Renee could hear her screaming when Sirius was announced. Flying above the stands, Renee grinned menacingly and prepared for a tough game; Ravenclaw had a good lineup this year.

Gryffindor won, though by too thin a margin for comfort; even with them catching the Snitch, they only won by 20 points. As Gryffindors streamed onto the pitch to greet the victorious team, Sirius was obviously scanning the crowd for a certain person.

When he saw a beaming Tarin running straight for him, a matching grin overcame his aristocratic features. He flew to meet her and with her on tip-toe, they kissed a victorious kiss, that went on for quite awhile, causing the observing students to wolf whistle. When they finally resurfaced, their faces defiantly devoid of a blush, they only had eyes for each other. Observing this from amongst the crowd, Renee grinned and hoped that this would turn out better than she had originally thought; Tarin and Sirius both looked like they would be happy together forever.

Sunday night, Tarin and Renee had their monthly 'sleepover' in the Room of Requirement. Lounging on a beanbag chair, Tarin sighed contentedly. "Nay-Nay, have I ever mentioned how extremely glad I am that we overheard those fifth years talking about this place all those years ago? Because I am. This room is amazing."

Renee nodded and took a bite from her licorice wand, just one of the snacks they had stolen from the kitchens.

"So, darling, how's life as Sirius Black's ex-girlfriend?" Tarin asked sarcastically.

Renee grinned. "Great. We still snog in the broom closet between classes."

Tarin laughed. "You know, if you said that to any other girl in Hogwarts, you'd probably get your eyes scratched out."

She shrugged, silently acknowledging the truth of the statement. "So, how's life as Sirius' current love interest?"

That got her started. "Oh my Merlin, it's amazing. He is the sweetest, deepest, and well, most amazing bloke I've ever known."

Renee tried to cut in and stop her before she really got rolling, but it was too late. "We snuck away from the party last night and went up to the Astronomy Tower and talked for ages. Well, okay, there might have been a little - or a lot, of snogging. But then it got cold and we went back to the party and we spent the whole evening together. I swear, we danced every single song together until the party finally broke up."

Renee was starting to tune out, and Tarin finally registered her expression. "Blimey, I'm hogging the whole conversation, aren't I? What's new in your life?"

She laughed. "Trust me, my life is so boring nothing has happened in ages. Really, the most exciting thing was Sirius and I dating, and that wasn't even real."

Tarin scoffed. "Oh, whatever. I bet tons of stuff has happened."

Renee wrackedher brain. "Er, well James Potter wants me to help him get a date with Lily Evans."

"No way! What'd you say?" Tarin asked, always fascinated with new gossip.

"Well, I was going to say no, but, I mean, it's James. He just did his whole heartbroken little kid thing and so I said I'd help once my current matchmaking job was settled. AKA, when you and Sirius are official," Renee said with a wink.

Tarin groaned and threw herself back on the pillows. "Ugh. I think you should change your terms. I don't think he's ever going to ask me out."

Knowing her obligations, Renee flopped down beside her. "What are you talking about? The bloke's bonkers for you!"

Tarin groaned again. "I don't know, I just have this really bad feeling that I'm just another girl to him, just his flavour of the week."

Shaking her head resolutely, Renee denied it. "You're bonkers! The bloke is head over heels for you. Just trust me." She didn't mention that she thought Sirius was just Tarin's flavour of the week.

Looking at her uncertainly, Tarin asked, "Are you sure? There have been so many other girls…"

She reassured her again. "I am absolutely, 100% positive that you are special to him."

Tarin still didn't look convinced, but didn't press it. Instead they talked about the current rumour going around Hogwarts: McGonogall and Dumbledore.

"I'm calling bullshit. I mean, yeah, they're both old, but she's probably still like half his age." Renee said.

"I don't know… I think they'd make a cute couple." Tarin said, smiling sweetly.

Renee looked at her oddly. "Yeah, and the Great Squid is my secret lover."

They dissolved into giggles before finally going to sleep, thoughts full of a weird mixture of the Giant Squid, Sirius, Dumbledore, and McGonogall.

* * *

><p><strong>There, we get to see Tarin in a normal and friendly light. She's not really confident, which is a big factor later. Not that you guys can know anything about that, of course. Muahaha. But yeah, decent length chapter, plus a bit of pure silliness at the end. All I know is that if I were a student, I would've definitely thought McGonogall and Dumbledore had a thing. <strong>

**So, review and tell me your thoughts on their secret love affair. Oh, and the chapter, too. If you feel like it.**

**Also, not that I've been feeling very creative lately (at all), but I thought I'd offer: whenever this story is done would y'all like me to start writing Renee helping James and Lily get together? I don't really have any ideas, but if you want me to write it then I'll start thinking of some. And you could give me ideas, since my creativity = 0 right now:)  
><strong>

**-Nikky **


	6. Nervous Preparation

Chapter 6 - Nervous Preparation

The next morning, after they had each stolen back to their respective common rooms, Renee sat downstairs, waiting for her dorm mates. Hearing footsteps coming down the stairs, she turned expectantly towards the girls stairs. She was surprised, therefore, when Sirius plopped himself down next to her, with the other Marauders close behind him.  
>Grinning at the boys, she greeted them. "Morning, mates."<p>

"Good morning," they chirped back to her; they had always gotten along rather well, due to her being teammates with James and Sirius.

Turning to address Sirius solely, she said, "Hey Sirius, I need to talk to you. It's rather important."  
>He looked surprised. "Can't you just tell me tonight, after dinner?"<p>

Renee smiled sheepishly, embarrassed. "Well, see, I would, but I have detention with McGonogall tonight."

He laughed. "Really? Out of the two of us to break our routine for detention, I didn't figure it would be you. What'd you do that got Minnie all riled up?"

"I don't know why, but apparently she's not particularly fond of people sleeping in class. Who would've thought?" She said, full on grinning now.

His laugh echoed through the nearly empty Common Room, sounding oddly like a pack of dogs all barking to each other. "Rookie mistake, Renee."

She stuck her tongue out at him. "Not my fault I don't have as much experience at sleeping in class as you do, Sirius."

Still grinning, he said, "All right, well I'm bloody starving, so why don't you sit with the boys and I for breakfast and we can talk then."

Figuring that she'd be safe from the fan girls now that Sirius and Tarin had been seen very publicly into each other, she agreed and they all went down to the Great Hall for breakfast.  
>After they had all piled their plates with as much food as possible, she said, "Right, well, Sirius, Tarin and I had a sleepover last night and -" She stopped short when the boys stopped eating (miraculously) and stared at her.<p>

"Were there pillow fights?" James asked excitedly.

"Erm, no?" She answered, confused.

"Did you play Truth or Dare?" Sirius demanded.

She scoffed. "Not since we were like eight."

"Ooh," Peter squealed, "Did you guys rub lotion on each other in your knickers?"

"Blimey, what in Merlin's name is wrong with you guys?" She demanded, completely confused.

Calmly buttering his toast, Remus answered her, the only picture of normal behavior in the group. "Unlike me, they don't have sisters and therefore aren't aware that stuff like that doesn't happen at real sleepovers."

Renee laughed, then laughed harder when Sirius exclaimed, "Blimey, Moony, I didn't know you had sisters. Are they fit?"

When she was able to stop laughing at Remus disapproving expression, she continued. "Anyway, Tarin and I had a sleepover, minus the pillow fights, truth or dare, and lotion, and she talked about you. A bloody lot."

James grinned. "Awh, I didn't know she cared."

Sirius scowled and threw his toast at him. "Sod off mate, this is important. What'd she say?"

"Well, mostly 'Oh Merlin, he's soooo sweet'," Renee said, rolling her eyes, "But she also mentioned some important stuff."

He interrupted, proudly sticking out his chest. "Excuse me, but that is very important."

She and the other Marauders snickered, as she said, "Yeah, because your ego isn't big enough already."

It was his turn to stick his tongue out at her. However, she continued. "Anyway, _again_, she's afraid that she's just a phase and that you'll move on in a week."

He was outraged. "What? Doesn't she know that -"

She rolled her eyes again. "That you're head over heels, she's special, you're completely insane, blah, blah, blah. Yeah, I told her that. She's not convinced, though. She, you know, wants you to make it official."

Sirius visibly paled at the word 'official'. Renee was getting tired of rolling her eyes. "Really, Sirius? After all that talk about her being special, and making out on top of towers and what not, you still don't want to make her your girlfriend? You're such a wuss."

He glared at her. "I'm not a wuss. It's just that... Well, Sirius Black and 'official' don't really mesh well."

She returned his glare. "Well, Sirius Black better come up with a better explanation before Renee Gray beats his arse."

Remus snickered and intervened. "What that prat means is that, while he is thought to be promiscuous, he has, in truth, only had a few girlfriends. Or, a few compared to the number that circulates in rumours."

As Sirius elbowed him in the gut, she knew it was true. Her jaw dropped. She was absolutely dumbfounded. "Buh... But, I thought you'd been with like every girl in Hogwarts?"

"I have," he said, unashamedly, " I just never dated most of them. Unless you count a quickie in a broom closet as a date. Then I guess you could say I've been on a lot of dates."

She stared at him for a second, before bursting out in laughter. She was nearly crying as she said, "Merlin, you scared me for a second. I thought you had only been with a few girls."

He looked offended. "Please. Don't insult me by comparing me to these other gits."

She was confused. "How did I compare you to 'these other gits'"?

He sighed and explained. "Other blokes only get a few girls. Not Sirius Black. Don't insult my mad skills like that."

She snorted. "Whatever, mate, just whatever. Has anyone ever told you that you're overly fond of referring to yourself as 'Sirius Black'." Seeing the look on his face, she quickly went on. "Er, right. Let's get to class."  
>She hurried out of her seat before realizing, "Uhm, what exactly do we have?"<p>

Remus rolled his eyes. "We have Potions. Peter has Divination."

After saying goodbye to Peter, they walked down to the dungeons. Along the way, Sirius held Renee back a few feet from James and Remus.

Giving him an odd look, Renee asked, "Can I help you?"

"Well, what if - and if you repeat this to anyone I will happily make your life hell," he threatened, "But what if she says no?"

Knowing he wouldn't ask unless he was genuinely worried, she resisted the urge to laugh and point out how impossible that was, because he was 'the Sirius Black'. "Sirius, I swear she won't say no. And if she does, then I guess you'll just have to get over it."

Oddly enough, he didn't look very reassured. She tried again. "Look, Sirius, you know how much you like her?"

He nodded.

She didn't want to lie and compare Tarin's feelings to his, so she kept it honest. "Well, she's pretty bonkers about you, too. So relax, she won't reject you. I mean, it's not exactly her forte to say no."

He looked slightly more at ease, so she pressed on. "All right, now I'm not going to tell you how to ask her, but I suggest you do soon. As in ask her to Hogsmeade this weekend, then ask her to be your girlfriend there."

He gulped, but nodded. "And for the rest of the week?"

Bemused at having to plan this out for him, she said, "Well, I'd ask her to Hogsmeade soon, before she gives up and says yes to some other bloke. Then, just talk to her like you did last week, but mention being excited about Hogsmeade. And before you ask, yes you can snog. But that's it!"

"Excellent, I can do that," he said with a grin.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Another kind of filler chapter, but this one at least had some Marauder-goodness plus Sirius being all cute and nervous. Don't worry, the next chapter most definitely won't be filler. And I just decided it needs more Maraudery-yum in it, so I'll make sure to do that. Pleasepleaseplease review and you ever think any character gets too OOC or Mary-Sue-esque, PLEASE tell me. Please.**

**- Nikky  
><strong>


	7. Hogsmeade

Chapter 7- Hogsmeade

The week passed quickly again. Tarin said yes when Sirius asked her to Hogsmeade, as everyone except Sirius had known she would. What they hadn't predicted, though, was who James asked: Renee.  
>When he did, she gave him an odd look. "James, did you get hit in the head with a Bludger at the game? You're in love with Lily, remember?"<p>

He grinned at her condescendingly. "I know that, Ray. Everyone knows that, actually. I just meant as friends. Peter got detention for blowing something up and Remus is staying to do an essay, so I figured you and I could keep each other company."

She grinned back. "Oh, right. Well then, sure, I'd love to be your 'date'. But, er, where did Ray come from?"

He ruffled her hair, which was seriously annoying. Was she five? "'Cause you're a little ray of sunshine, of course."  
>Fixing her hair and scowling at him, she said, "Yeah, right, and Peter's a butterfly. Please. Now really, where'd you come up with that?"<br>"Hm... I'm pretty sure it was in the loo, when I skipped Herbology. Why do you ask?" He said with a completely straight face.  
>She wacked his arm, and was relatively sure it didn't feel like it does when Powell hit a bloke's arm whilst whoring around. She growled, only half-playing. "Now, really, James, what gave you the idea for that nickname?"<p>

Wincing and rubbing his arm, causing Renee to grin to herself, he whined, "Merlin, it's just a nickname. Why'd you have to hit me so hard?"

When Renne didn't offer an explanation, he sighed and gave up the pretense of rubbing his arm. "Merlin, chicks, I swear. Right well, I dislike calling people by their real name. Boring."

She didn't really see the sense in that, but she let him continue. "So, I had to think of a nickname for you. I could've used Nay, as in Re-_NAY_, but that makes you sound like a horse, so I decided against that." She hid a smile and chose not to tell him that she'd been called Nay-Nay for years.

He pressed on. "So, I used the first syllable. 'Re' in Renee sounds close enough to Ray, so I'm just gonna pretend your real name is Ray-Nay and I'm just lazy." Eying her warily, he asked, "You cool with that?"

She threw her head back as she laughed. "James Potter, you strange strange child, that made no sense."  
>He pouted at her, obviously not appreciative of being called a strange child.<p>

Grinning, she said, "Oh Jamesiepoo, stop pouting. Of course I'll go to Hogsmeade with you."  
>She hurried off before he could whine about his new nickname, laughing to herself as he yelled down the corridor after her.<p>

Before the teenagers knew it, it was Saturday morning. James and Renee had arranged to meet in the Common Room at noon, while Sirius and Tarin were going to meet in the Entrance Hall just after that. Currently, it was 11:45 A.M. and Lily was putting the finishing touches on Renee's hair.

"I still can't believe you're going on a date with James bloody Potter," Lily growled as she magically curled Renee's hair.

"For the last time, it's not a date! We're just two friends going to Hogsmeade together because our other friends are busy. Which also means this whole nonsense isn't necessary," Renee said exasperatedly, gesturing to her new ringlets.  
>Lily sniffed. "Even if it's not a date, and even if it is with that prat, you should look good."<p>

Renee laughed as she freed herself from Lily's clutches. "I know you mean well. Thanks Lils! Have fun shopping with Alice and Mary." With a quick hug, she bounded out the door and down to the Common Room.

She was just in time to catch Sirius before he left. "Oy, Sirius!"

He turned around, looking very nice and nonchalant in casual jeans and a t-shirt. Renee couldn't help but notice that he looked a bit paler than normal.

She grinned. "Breathe, Sirius. Remember, keep it simple. It's not like she'll say no. Good luck." Then she all but shoved him out the portrait hole.

She didn't have to wait long before James came down the stairs, looking boyishly cute with his hair still sticking up all over the place. "Hey, Ray. Sorry to keep you waiting; Padfoot was hogging the bathroom. Shall we?"

"We shall," she said, and they left the castle.

They talked lightly of Quidditch all the way to Hogsmeade. Soon, however, Sirius' plan with Tarin came up.

"I don't think he slept a wink last night, he was so worried," James said, "I've never seen him like this before."

"Good," then on an impulse, she added, "Now if only Tarin were the same way."

He looked at her oddly. "You can't be trying to tell me she doesn't like him. I saw them at the party; they were all over each other. Both of them."

She grimaced, then avoided his gaze, looking out at the village instead. "No, she likes him, definitely... I'm just afraid she doesn't like him as much as he likes her."

When he still didn't seem to see the problem, she explained. "See, Tarin's like a female version of Sirius, meaning she's gone through too many blokes to count. And well, you said Sirius is acting different? Tarin isn't. I'm afraid that in a week, she'll just move on."

James didn't say anything. When Renee finally brought her eyes up to his, he looked angry. Very angry. "Er, James? Talk to me, Jamesiepoo."

"So, you mean to tell that you knew this and didn't try to stop it?" He demanded.

She jerked her chin up, not responding well to his accusation. "Hey now, I didn't say that. I warned him. I really did. I said she might hurt him. He said he could take care of himself. Do you even know how hard it was to warn someone off my best mate?"

"Some best mate," he snapped.  
>She recoiled as if he'd slapped her. His expression slowly smoothed over and he apologized. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that. You did everything you could. And you're right, it couldn't have been easy. I'm sorry. Er, I guess we'll just have to hope you're wrong and they live happily ever after."<p>

Renee still felt uneasy, but didn't push it. "Yeah, maybe. Want to go to Zonko's?"

He grinned devilishly. "Do you even have to ask?"

Laughing, they put the topic behind them. After loading up with everything they could carry at Zonko's, they went to the Three Broomsticks. They managed to get a table to themselves in the crowded pub and were laughing about all the possibilities of their new prank items when the door opened and Sirius and Tarin walked in.

Noticing the couple's joined hands, Renee grinned and called them over. They had to budge up a bit, but eventually they were all sitting comfortably at the small booth. Renee didn't miss the fact that Tarin and Sirius were sitting even closer than the small space made necessary.

James seemed to be thinking along the same lines as he gave them a knowing grin and asked, "So, guys, what's up?"

The two in question grinned and, not the type to conceal anything, Tarin said, "Guess who has a new boyfriend?"

Renee smirked. "Who, me? How'd you already know? James just asked!"

Sirius and Tarin both burst out laughing, clearly giddy. Tarin couldn't focus on the joke though. "No, idiot, US! I mean... Me. I guess you didn't really acquire a boyfriend, did you, Sirius?"

Sirius leaned in, though he didn't have far to go, and kissed her. "No, I most definitely did not."

While the new couple got a little distracted with each other later, Renee whispered to James, "I don't know about you, but this has been a bit more cuteness than I can handle at once. Ready to go?"

James nodded quickly and they made their excuses. "Well, as lovely as this has been, the lady and I would like to continue with our date. See you back at the castle."

Leaving the pub, they wandered around Hogsmeade a bit more until the growing darkness forced them to head back to school. On the walk back, James said, "Today was fun."

Renee smiled up at him. "It was. And I even got through it without having to do anything illegal. Not going to lie, I had my doubts. I mean, this was an entire day with a full-fledged Marauder."

"Merlin, how'd you have the courage?" James teased.

She laughed. "Oh, I was terrified the whole time. Scared senseless."

"Somehow, I highly doubt it," James said, laughing with her. They were still laughing when they went to their respective dormitories.

The next month or so was a blur leading up to Easter break. Sirius and Tarin got hot and heavy fast. A couple weeks after they'd been going out, Tarin came up to Renee and gushed all the details of the night before.

"Wait, what?" Renee said, having kind of been tuning her out before that.

"I _said_, it was romantic and beautiful and just perfect for our first time," Tarin repeated impatiently.

"Woah. You guys already shagged?" Renee asked, confused. "Isn't it a bit early?"

Tarin shrugged. "Not really. I mean, neither of us were exactly virgins before, so it wasn't that big of a deal. Plus, I mean, it's Sirius bloody Black. You try snogging him for two weeks and not going any further. Let me tell you, it is seriously difficult." She giggled. "Siriusly. Haha."

Renee laughed. "Well, whatever floats your boat I guess. Which he clearly does."

Tarin giggled again. Renee asked herself when Tarin had started giggling so much. They hadn't really been hanging out much lately, a fact that Renee had figured Sirius was the source of.

"So, don't you want to know all the juicy details?"

Renee was snapped out of her musings. "Eurgh. No thank you. I was hoping to actually be able to eat. But thanks."

Tarin giggled. Yet again. "What a silly little virgin. Oh well, I need to go tell Sydney anyway. She'll want to know every detail."

She started again. "Who, Sydney Powell? I didn't know you guys talked."

"Sydney? Yeah, we've been friends for awhile. We have a lot of classes together. Didn't I tell you we were cool now?" Tairn asked, looking confused.

"Er, no, must've forgotten. How exactly does that work? Isn't she kind of bonkers about Sirius?" Renee asked, her turn to look confused.

"Eh, she likes him, but what girl doesn't?" Tarin shrugged. "I've gotten used to it and I think she likes having inside information on him."

"And that isn't... weird? Awkward? Just plain odd?"

Tarin shrugged again. "Like I said, I've gotten used to it. Plus, she's really, really sweet."

Now Renee was just astounded. "Er, Tarin, this is the same chick who wanted to disembowel me for talking to 'her man'. How is she sweet?"

"She's really nice about Sirius and she's friendly, and... She's nice okay? It's not like I'm asking you to be her friend, okay?" Tarin replied defensively.

Renee backed down. "Okay, then. Whatever you say, I guess. Hey, I'll see you around; Quidditch practice."

Jogging down to the pitch, Renee prepared to hear about Sirius and Tarin's 'perfect' night again, as she'd pretty much had to listen to double accounts of everything that went on in their relationship. She was somewhat surprised, therefore, when Sirius didn't mention. After a few days and Tarin saying they'd done it multiple times since, Renee was just confused.

One night when they were just hanging out in the Common Room finishing up an essay by themselves, Renee brought it up. "So, Sirius, how's the whole 'shagging Tarin every chance you get' thing going for you?"

Sirius choked on air. "Ahem. What?"

Renee looked at him, amused. "Tarin says you guys have been shagging for days now. I just thought I'd ask, since you haven't mentioned it."

He looked uncomfortable. "Er, it's going well, I guess."

Renee inspected his uneasy expression. "Sirius, are you... embarassed?" When he just went back to working on his essay, she continued. "Are things, you know, okay? If you're like... having issues-"

"Woah, WOAH!" Sirius said, finally speaking up. "First off, Sirius Black doesn't 'have issues' in that department. Just no. Don't even imply it. And second, things in that department are going swell. I just didn't mention it because it's, well, awkward to talk about it with a chick."

Renee laughed. "What, shagging? Isn't that pretty much all anyone talks about these days?"

"Yeah, blokes talk about it with blokes, and chicks talk about it with chicks, but like... Guys talking about it with girls. That's just awkward." He sounded horrified at the thought.

"I'm confused. What's so awkward about talking about it with the other gender? How's it any different?"

"Well, guys and girls _do_ it together. So if they talk about it together, then they'll just end up doing it together."

Renee burst out laughing. "Sirius, that's ridiculous!" When Sirius didn't seem to agree, she went on. "Look at you and I, for example. I do not want to shag you. I'm assuming you don't want to shag me. Mentioning that you and Tarin are shagging isn't going to suddenly make me want to drag you to a broom closet. That's not how it works between friends. No matter if it's you and James or you and me. Just ew."

Sirius laughed. "Oh please, Renee. That's such a lie; everyone knows you're already dying to drag me into a broom closet. And trust me, if I'm involved, it is _not_ ew."

"Now see, was that so hard?" Renee asked, laughing too.  
>"No, but's that's all I'm saying to you about it. Tarin and I shagged. It was most definitely NOT ew. The end. Good night." And he quickly gathered his stuff and went to his dormitory. Renee laughed all the way up to hers.<p>

**AN:/ So, this chapter took FOREVER to write. And about halfway through the chapter, I didn't write for almost six months. So if there's a difference in the writing style... Oops, I guess? Anyway, hope you enjoyed. This chapter definitely wasn't filler, right? Well maybe a little at the end, but it's something I've always wondered about. I mean, it's true, right? There is some gender separation in those conversations. Or is that just me? Anyway. Tell me your thoughts. Or at least the ones that pertain to this story. I mean, I guess you could use the review space as your own personal thought blog, but that's not very useful. No offense to your thought process or anything.  
>AHEM. Anyway. Review. KTHANKSBYE :)<strong>

**-Nikky  
><strong>


	8. Fickle is as Fickle Does

Chapter 8 - Ficke is as Fickle Does

Over Easter holidays, everyone finally got a break from the happy couple; Tarin went home to visit her family, while Sirius stayed at Hogwarts. The week passed quickly for everyone still at school; the Gryffindor's enjoyed having Sirius back to themselves, if only temporarily. Too soon, though, the other students were returning from their vacations.

Renee, Sirius, and the other Marauders were waiting in the Great Hall for Tarin to find them. Sirius had been excited all day; the couple hadn't spent more than a few hours apart for quite awhile before the holiday.

Tarin finally came in, her eyes clearly scanning the table for her boyfriend. Sirius hadn't seen her yet, but from where Renee was sitting, she could see the exact moment Tarin saw him, her light blue eyes lighting up. She ran over to their table. Coming up behind Sirius, she put her hands over his eyes.

"Guess who?"

Sirius' face broke out in a grin. He jumped out of his seat and kissed her deeply. Breaking for air, he grinned again. "Hey, gorgeous. How was your break?"

Tarin sighed as they both sat down. "Too long, of course."

The grin had yet to leave his face. "I agree completely. A week is far too long to go without seeing you."

And then they were snogging again. The others made awkward conversation around the groping couple until said couple finally broke apart.

Giggling, Tarin stood up. "Hey, handsome, why don't you, er, come help me unpack? I don't think my dormmates are up there."

He, as well as everyone else in the group, quickly saw what she was alluding to. Saying very hasty goodbyes, the two ran off.  
>"Er, I thought blokes couldn't get in our dormitories?" Renee asked, trying to make conversation in the midst of the now silent table.<p>

James laughed. "As if that would stop Sirius? He figured a way around that years ago."

Renee was curious as to how he'd managed that, but James went on before she could ask. "But that's if they even make it that far, which I highly doubt."

Remus sighed. "Unfortunately, I think James is right. Knowing those two, they're probably holed up in a broom closet right about now."

The group laughed, easily believing it, and they moved on to other topics for the remainder of lunch.

Later that afternoon, Renee was finishing a truly infuriating Potions essay in the library when Tarin found her. "Hey, Nay-Nay, what're you doing?"

Renee out down her quill and stretched. "Not much, just finishing up an essay for Slughorn. More interestingly, what're you doing? How was your reunion with Sirius?" Tarin colored slightly, but went on shamelessly. "Well, let's just say we didn't get a whole lot of unpacking done."

"Gee, what a surprise," Renee said teasingly, "I'd be more surprised if you had gotten any done."

They both laughed. When Tarin didn't say anything else and looked deep in thought, Renee left her to it, starting to revise her essay instead. Soon enough, Tarin spoke up. "Hey, Renee... Does Sirius seem different to you?"

She looked up from her essay. "What do you mean? Different how?"

Tarin fidgeted. "I don't know... He's seemed different ever since I got back. He's acting odd."

"You've only been back a few hours. And in those few hours, you've spent the majority of the time shagging; nothing seems out of the ordinary," Renee said, confused.

"Well, yeah, I guess," Tarin squirmed, "Did anything, you know, happen while I was gone?"  
>"What do you..." Renee trailed as she realized what Tarin was getting at, "Tarin! Do you think Sirius is <em>cheating<em> on you?"

"Keep your voice down!" Tarin said, anxiously looking around the vacant library, "And, I... He... I just... I don't know!" She looked distraught.

Renee automatically switched into comfort mode. Patting her on the back, she said, "Hey, calm down. I am positive he's not cheating on you. That just isn't possible. Now, tell me how he seems different."

Tarin was clearly struggling not to cry. "I don't know. He seemed distant. After we, you know, did it, he barely talked to me. I mean he's normally quiet after, but this was different."

"Well, that doesn't seem so bad. I mean, that's hardly solid proof."

When Tarin didn't look reassured, Renee went on. "Look, if there is something different then I'm sure he'll tell you sooner or later. There's probably just more home problems or something."

That still didn't seem to be doing much to comfort her. "Hey, Tarin, look at me. I _know_ he's not cheating you. I don't know if you two have officially said it yet, but I _know_ Sirius loves you. He's never been so serious about a girl. _He loves you_. He would never in a million years cheat on you."

Tarin burst into tears and buried her head in her hands.  
>"Woah, woah. What's wrong?" Renee asked, having no clue why her best mate was bawling.<p>

"Oh, Nay-Nay, I'm such a horrid person!" Tarin gasped out between sobs.

"Sh, sh, I'm sure whatever happened isn't that bad, shhh. It's all right." Renee comforted her until Tarin had regained her composure enough to speak again.

Wiping her eyes, Tarin finally explained. "Okay, what I'm about to tell you, you have to _swear _not to tell anyone."

Renee nodded. "Of course."

"Okay... So over break, well maybe I should start at the beginning. Okay, so you know Amos Diggory? Seventh year in my House?"

"Er, yeah. He plays Beater, doesn't he?" Renee said, confused as to why she was bringing him up, "What about him?"

"Well, for a couple weeks before break we'd been talking. Nothing major, just a little flirting. We hang out with the same people, you know? And well, over break... we wrote each other a few times..."

Renee had a horrible feeling in the pit of her stomach, but didn't try to stop her.

"And one day, well, my parents were out, and I was bored. So I wrote Amos and he came over. We were just hanging out, not really doing much, when... He kissed me."

"What'd you do?" Renee asked with bated breath, hardly daring to wonder.

"Well... I pushed him away... At first. Then he kissed me again and well, I didn't push him away."

Renee froze. "Tarin. What _exactly_ did you guys do?"

Tarin hid her face again. "Well, we just snogged... For awhile. Then we got a little carried away and... We might have shagged."

Renee was beyond outrage. "What the bloody hell, Tarin? How could you do that to Sirius? This is going to break his heart! And then you accused _him_ of cheating? You... You... BITCH! How could you do that to him!"

Tarin was bawling again. "I know! I'm a horrible person. I just... I don't know. Things were going so fast between Amos and I, and I just couldn't remember why I should stop."

"Well, sucks that you couldn't bring yourself to remember your own boyfriend. The guy who's completely in love with you and who thinks you love him, too." Renee said, stone-faced.

Tarin sobbed harder.  
>"This is going to break his heart..." Renee said softly to herself.<p>

Tarin finally looked up. "No, it's not. Because he's not going to find out. Nobody's going to tell him."

Renee looked at the girl who was her best mate in disgust.

Tarin clutched at her desperately. "Please, Renee, I'm begging you. Please don't tell him. It was a one-time thing. A huge mistake. It will never happen again, I swear."

Renee shook her head and escaped from her grasp. "I wish I could believe you. But I should've seen this coming. You've always been a heart breaker and I just ignored it. Well, not anymore. Sirius is a good person. He deserves to know the truth. And bitch, you better believe me when I say he'll hear it."

She quickly grabbed her stuff and as she was leaving, she looked back at her best mate, sobbing at the table. Her heart softened for a second, before she reminded herself what her 'best mate' had done to Sirius. Then she said icily, "Don't talk to me again. I can't be friends with someone who lies and cheats. Good bye, Tarin."

**AN:/ Dang. That was intense, if I do say so myself. I generally don't write arguments because, quite frankly, I'm a pretty passive person and have never been in a serious fight with any of my friends. Looking back, I think this might be a little OOC, but she **_**is**_** fiercely loyal to her friends, which Sirius is now in that definition. However, Tarin has been her best mate for a very long time, so it's a good bet that Renee is feeling rather conflicted. I guess we'll see what happens next chapter ;)**

** I had originally planned on Sirius finding out in this chapter, but this scene between Tarin and Renee was intense enough that I decided to push it to the next chapter. Or, at least I think so. Maybe it was too intense and unrealistic? Maybe it was a wuss fight? I really have no experience with it, so I can't really say. However, I bet somebody out there can. So, as always, please tell me what you think :)**

**And really guys, I've gotten so many story alerts and favorites, but I have like 2 reviews. SHARE THE LOVE.  
><strong>

**-Nikky  
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	9. Heartbreak

Chapter 9 - Heartbreak

As Renee wandered through the corridors aimlessly, she thought about what had just happened. She and Tarin had been friends for ages, and now that was just over. It was a lot to process.

What Tarin had done was just flat out wrong, Renee didn't doubt that. The actual cheating wasn't that big a deal; if she was being honest, she could admit that she'd always doubted Tarin's commitment level. But she had figured that her conscious would make her tell Sirius and they'd either work through it or break up, but at least she'd be honest. Clearly, that wasn't how this was happening though.

And if Renee were still being honest with herself, she could admit that she was torn on what to do. On one hand, she hadn't been lying to Tarin; Sirius deserved to know the truth. On the other hand, though, what if Tarin was true to her word? What if it really was a one time thing? She would hate to see Sirius heartbroken because of one mistake. She had never seen him as happy as he'd been the past month with Tarin.

Finally deciding that Sirius needed to know, regardless of how upset he'd be, Renee knew she had to tell him. She checked her location and shook her head as she realized the was in the dungeons. She turned around and went to find Sirius.

A couple turns from Gryffindor Tower, she heard voices. She slowed and then froze when she recognized the speakers.

"Hey Diggory, how's it going?" Came Sirius' easy voice.

"Pretty good, though apparently not as good as you; how's Tarin?" Diggory said, giving Renee a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach.

Sirius chuckled, clearly in the dark. "She's great, thanks."

"Yeah, I bet. I hear she's a bloody fantastic shag," Diggory's voice didn't even sound remotely amiable anymore.

Renee could easily picture how Sirius would stiffen. His voice reflected this, completely hardened. "That's really none of your damn business, Diggory."

Diggory's voice rushed out. "Yeah, well I think it is my business. Because over the break, you know, when you were here alone thinking about your oh-so-sweet gilfriend? Yeah, I was shagging her senseless all break."

Renee ran around the corner, to do what she didn't know. She was just in time to see Sirius punch Diggory in the jaw. He punched him twice more before Renee was able to hold him back.

"Sirius, hey, Sirius! Stop punching him!"

He looked down at her, his eyes black with anger. "Do you hear the lies he's saying? The git deserves it!"

Renee's heart sank. She thought he had just punched Diggory because he was angry, not because he didn't believe him. "Sirius, I agree, he's a git who deserves to be beaten to a pulp. But I really need to talk to you first."

As much to his surprise as hers, he actually let her drag him away. Diggory lay forgotten on the floor, before the idiot burst out, "Looks like Tarin's not the only one who's been cheating."

Before Sirius could turn around to punch him again, Renee whipped out her wand. With a flick, she sent Diggory flying down the corridor, before she finally pulled Sirius down the corridor and out to the grounds.

"What's going on, Renee? Why'd you pull me off the git?" Sirius demanded.

Renee sighed and looked across the lake. "Because, Sirius, he wasn't lying. It's true."

He froze. "What do you mean?"

"I mean that Tarin and Diggory really did hook up over the break."

The color drained from his face. He shook his head. "No, not possible. You're lying."

It nearly broke her heart to do so, but she knew she had to finish what she started. "I'm not lying, Sirius. It's true."

She told him the whole story, every detail of her conversation with Tarin. By the end, Sirius looked inconceivably older. "I... I can't believe. After all we've said... She ruins it."

"I'm so sorry, Sirius. As soon I knew, I came to find you. Diggory just found you first." She crossed her fingers as she fibbed, but she didn't think the truth would make much of a difference.

Sirius didn't reply for a long time. When he finally looked up from the lake and at her, his eyes were different. There was no amiable light in them, the light that had separated him from his family. "Yeah, right."

Her brow furrowed. "What do you mean? You know I wouldn't lie to you about this."

His face with anger as he suddenly screamed. "BULLSHIT! You two have been planning this since the beginning. I bet you've been having a laugh the whole time!"

"No, Sirius, I swear, that's now what happened," Renee protested in astonishment.

"Bullshit!" He roared again, "Stop lying! I'm done listening to your lies! You can't trust a cheating whore or her lying best mate."

Renee recoiled, hurt that he would say that after all the grief she'd gone through. Then she fired back. "Don't talk to me like that! I tried to warn you from the start! Don't blame me because your stupid pride wouldn't let you see what was right in front of you!"

She thought she saw a flicker of something in his eyes, but she couldn't be sure before he stormed off. She thought about chasing him and setting him straight, but figured he probably needed some time to cool off. Or maybe he was going to break up with Tarin, in which case she definitely didn't want to be around.

So she was idly daydreaming and considering going for dinner later when James found her. "There you are, Ray!"

She looked up at him. "Hey, James. Still with the nickname, really?"

He grinned for a second before gushing, "Merlin, you will not believe everything that's happened."

She semi-smiled, but really grimaced, knowing the situation wasn't very amusing. "Let me guess; Tarin cheated on Sirius?"

He scowled. "How'd you know?"

"Tarin told me and I had the dubious pleasure of telling Sirius it was true after Diggory spilled the beans," she said with a shrug.

"Oh," he said, sounding deflated, "Well, yeah, but that's not all. They had a _huge_ dramatic break up at dinner."

She turned to him, finally interested. "Merlin, what happened?"

"Well, he came in late to dinner, then went straight to the Hufflepuff table. He said something to Tarin and they went out into the Entrance Hall. Then everyone heard them screaming at each other and Tarin was crying. Sirius yelled something something about her cheating, then she was like 'But you changed, you never loved me", which was such bullshit that Sirius got well, seriously mad. So they went on for a bit before the lads and I decided they could use some privacy. So we chucked a Dungbomb onto Snivellus' plate and everyone was freaking out about that. By the time people had calmed down, the yelling had stopped. We went to find Sirius, but he wouldn't tell us anything, he just kept punching walls and looking miserable in turns. Then we decided you would know what was going on so we split up to find you. Which brings me out here," He finished, gasping for air.

"Wow," She was flabbergasted.

"Yeah, wow," James agreed, "But what happened?"

So Renee retold her story again, her conversation with Tarin, then with Sirius. When she was done he flopped down on the grass beside her. "Wow."

She nodded. "I know."

He peered at her from behind his glasses. "You didn't actually know about this, did you?"

Renee thought about getting worked up, but didn't have the energy. She shrugged. "Did I know she was talking to Diggory? No. Did I know she was a total floozy? I had my suspicions. But I did warn him, you know, before I even got them together. Remember, you thought she would change?"

"Oh yeah... And you were right all along," James said slowly.

"Thank you!" Renee said, throwing her hands in the air exasperatedly.

He laughed. "Poor Ray; you've known what was up all along and just had to watch people make arses out of themselves."

They both laughed. The laughter had faded and they were sitting in silence when Renee finally asked, "James, how bad is it?"

He instantly understood her inquiry and answered clinically. "Well, he's pretty pissed. And with Sirius, that's always a gauge for how sad he'll be. I'd rank his anger at... Just under how mad he was when he moved out of his parents last holiday. He was visibly upset about it all summer. Considering the circumstances... I'd say he should get better during the summer. It would probably be sooner if he didn't have to see her around school, but..."

"And how do you think we can help him best?" She asked, trusting his judgment.

He shrugged. "I guess just keep him distracted. Exams aren't too far away, which might help. The boys and I will think of some way or other to distract him. The final Quidditch match is coming up, so we'll have more practices. And you'll help, right?"

Renee grimaced. "I don't know if you noticed, but we aren't exactly on the best terms right now. He called me a liar, I said he was thick for not knowing about Tarin sooner, all that fun."

James shrugged. "Oh, that's easy. Give him some time to cool off and he'll be fine. Talk to him tomorrow and he'll be apologizing in two seconds."

She grinned. "Cool. I guess that is easy."

They went back to the Common Room, then to their dormitories. Renee wished James luck dealing with Sirius before they separated. Smiling to herself as she walked up the stairs, she couldn't bring herself to regret the days events. Sure, people had gotten hurt, but Tarin and Sirius weren't good for each other anyway. They'd both be happier, eventually, with other people.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: So what'd you think of the second big fight? Drama, drama, drama. But yeah, next chapter is going to calm down a bit, give everyone a breather. I had to rework the outline a bit, but it still works. I'm dying to know your thoughts. Do share :)**

**And I'm supersuper sorry that this took so long for me to update! I swore I wouldn't let it get like this, but I've had a very busy and very fun summer, so I can't say I regret it that much. I was in Paris! Ahem. Anyway. If I get some more reviews, then I'll update very soon. If I don't, then I'll update whenever I remember again. So you know what to do!  
><strong>


	10. Simple

Chapter 10 - Simple

The next morning, Renee was feeling well-rested and ready for whatever break-up after math there might be to deal with. Saying a quick good morning to her dormmates, she went down to the Common Room. She was ready for this spat with Sirius to be over so she could keep him from going postal over Tarin.

She heard footsteps coming down the boys stairs, and looked eargerly towards the stairwell, but it was just some third year kid. Sighing, she reclined again, waiting. Finally, the Marauders came down. Jumping up from the sofa, she snagged Sirius. "Hey guys, you don't mind if I borrow him for a bit, do you? Thanks!"

They gave her knowing looks and continued ot the portrait hole. Renee and Sirius went over to some empty chairs.

"Look, Sirius, about our, er, conversation yesterday," she started.

He cut her off with a wave of his hand. "It's fine, Renee. I wasn't exactly thinking clearly at the moment. I know you wouldn't do that to me. No worries. Friends?"

She grinned up at him. He struggled to return the grin. "Friends."

As they walked down to join the others, Renee snuck glances at Sirius. He didn't look so hot. There were dark circles under his bloodshot eyes and his hair was as closed to mussed as she had ever seen it.

"Sirius, are you all right? You look a little tired."

He shrugged noncommitally. "Eh. I didn't get much sleep last night."

She nodded, guessing as much. "And was your late night productive?"

He rubbed a hand over his tired eyes. "Not really. But it wasn't exactly on purpose. I couldn't sleep. Kept thinking about it."

Renee put an arm around his waist in a little half hug. "I don't blame you, mate, I don't blame you... But hey, do me a favour? Don't dwell on it. I know that what she did was wrong and all, but stressing about it won't help. No worries, right?"

He smiled and hugged her back, then joked weakly, "Hey, I'm Sirius Black, I don't stress."

It wasn't great, but it was an attempt at least. Seeing him try to act normal again made her heart squeeze in sympathy for him.

Life carried on like that for awhile. His friends made every effort to distract him and he feigned enthusiasm. Occasionally, though, when he thought nobody was looking, his eyes darkened and Renee knew he was thinking about Tarin.

Time went on, though, and he healed. His reserve shrank, until by the time exams were drawing close, he was almost normal, with one exception: he hadn't been with a girl since Tarin. Not a date, snog, or even a mindless shag in a broom closet. Girls still threw themselves at him, but he always turned them down.

They all steered clear of Tarin, who by all appearances wasn't affected by the break-up at all. She was dating more guys, was inseparable from Sydney Powell, and occasionally just flat-out nasty. In the classes she had with all the Gryffindors she put up a humble facade, but in Care of Magical Creatures, when it was just Renee, Tarin, and some Slytherins, she was just short of vicious. There was no end to the snide remarks and mean looks. Not once did either girl make an attempt at reconciliation. They both acted like they had forgotten their whole past.

Soon, exams were over. After the annual party to celebrate the end of exams, the Marauders plus Renee were relaxing in the Common Room.

Renee looked around the Common Room. "Wow guys, can you believe it's been six years? One more and we'll be leaving for good..."

The others started looking around nostalgically, too.

"Well, don't you know how to cheer a room up?" Sirius teased.

She kicked his shin lightly. "Oh, shut up. I was just passing the time."

They all stared into the fire, lost in their own thoughts. Finally, James stood up and said, with a stretch, "All right, well, I'm for bed. Nice party."

Remus stood up, too, with a jaw-cracking yawn. "Me too; I'm exhausted. Good night, guys."

They heard their footsteps retreat up the stairs. Nobody said anything. Soon they heard Peter's light snores. Renee was just about to nod off when she heard Sirius say quietly, "Renee?"

"Mmm?" She replied sleepily.

"Are you awake?" He asked, sounding way too awake for the time of night.

Groaning, she sat up. "Not really. What's up?"

"Not much..." He said slowly, "I just don't feel like sleeping yet. Want to do something?"

She groaned again. "Now, Sirius? It's probably like 3 in the morning!"

"That's the fun part! Come on, let's go outside. The lake's awesome by moonlight!"

She sighed, recognizing the stubborness in his eyes. "Fine. Let's go."

Sirius jumped up, entirely too agile for 3 A.M. Renee followed more slowly and they snuck out to the lake. The almost-summer air was perfect. They relaxed by the normal Marauder tree. They were just talking about random topics when Renee asked, "So, Sirius, how are you? Really?"

He knew instantly what she was getting at. "Well... I'm actually okay. It still sucks to see her, but I think it will for quite awhile, so that's all right."

She smiled at him. "I'm glad. The group just wasn't right when you were out of sorts."

He smiled back at her, then they were talking about Quidditch. The conversation faded then, and they were sitting in a comfortable silence.

"Sirius," Renee said suddenly.

"Hmm?" He said, deep in thought.

"Why the bloody hell did you drag me out here in the middle of the night to stare at the lake?" She demanded.

He laughed his loud, bark-like laugh. "You're right. I'm being a horrible host. What would you like to do?"

She shrugged. "I don't really know, but if we don't do something soon, then I will fall asleep. And then you'd either have to carry me back to the castle or let the Giant Squid eat me. And I'm so not cool with being fish food."

He laughed again then got a mischevious glint in his eyes. "Are you sure about that?"

Then he pounced. He dragged her, kicking and screaming, into the lake. While she sputtered in the chilly water, he tore off his robes and jumped in after her. As he tried to come back up for air, she jumped on his back. Laughing, she let him up a few seconds later.

When he shook the water out of his eyes, she was still laughing. He noticed the moon glinting off her wet hair. The way her wet robes clung to her body. And she was still laughing, head thrown back.

Then, he didn't know what came over him, but he kissed her. At first she was too surprised to do anything and they were just kissing. Then her mind recovered and she pushed him away. "What the hell, Sirius?"

Now that the moment was gone, Sirius was just as confused. "I don't know... I wasn't thinking and it just happened."

She looked at him and couldn't help but laugh at his bewildered expression. "Right, er, well no offense or anything, but next time you decide to randomly snog me, could you give some warning?"

He laughed and they quickly dried off and headed back to the castle. On the way, he had some time to think and before they went their separate ways, he said, "Hey, Ray, I'm sorry. I really don't know what came over me. I wasn't thinking. I mean, I didn't mean anything by it. So let's just forget about it, yeah?"

She smiled. "'Course, Sirius. Think what a damper it'd put on our friendship if you were always trying to get me in a broom closet, eh?"

He laughed. "Yeah, that'd be rather odd, not going to lie."

Laughing, they went to their dormitories. But while they had both agreed to forget about it, both of them of them were kept awake for awhile thinking about their kiss. And neither one of them forgot it, that's for sure.

**AN:/ Wow. I wrote 3 chapters in one day. Then didn't look at this again for another year. It gives you an odd sense to look at it that much later... Anyway. Review. Tell me if you can tell that the creative part of my brain was totally exhausted by this point.**

**Also, tell me if their little odd kissing scene at the end is just so completely unrealistic and OOC. I felt like it might be, but I don't feel like fixing it haha. Oh, and I haven't typed up the rest of this story yet. Like it's written, just not typed. So if y'all don't review then I'll forget and it'll never be done. And we're almost done! Almost there!  
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	11. Changes

Chapter 11 - Changes

The rest of the week flew by. Neither of them forgot about that night, but they didn't mention it again either. Soon, they were boarding the Hogwarts Express for home.

"So what are you guys doing this summer?" Renee asked the Marauders.

"Well, I'll be at James' all summer again," Sirius started.

"Yeah, Ray, I think you're going to have to visit to keep me from killing myself. Or him." James joked.

She laughed. "Don't worry, Jamesie, I'll save you from the big, bad Sirius."

Sirius had been pouting, but then his expression lightened. "'The Big, Bad Sirius.' I like it. It has a certain ring to it."

They all laughed while he pondered his new title. Renee turned to Remus. "What about you, Remus? What are your plans?"

He shrugged. "Don't really have any. I think my parents want to go to the coast if they can get off work. If not, then I'll probably be dragged to James', too."

"Poor you," she said with a teasing smile, "What about you, Pete? Is James kidnapping you, too?"

He chuckled. "No, we're going abroad for the summer. I think we're going to visit some family in America for awhile, then spend some time in Greece."

"Well that sounds like fun," she said, jealous that he'd be traveling.

He shrugged. "You guys will probably have more fun at James' anyway."

They talked easily until the train rolled into London. They said the normal goodbye's, promised to write, and went their separate ways. On the platform, Renee looked for her parents, spotted them, and quickly grabbed them before they could find Tarin; there would be enough time to explain all that later. In fact, on the way home, she gave them a brief summary of the events of the year.

"Well, honey," her mum said, "I wish it wasn't so, but it's normal for teenagers to grow apart as they grow up."

He dad nodded and added, "You two just matured and realized you don't have a lot in common. To be perfectly honest, I'm surprised it didn't happen sooner. You always seemed an unlikely pair."

She smiled sadly at them. "You're probably right, it's for the best. I'm just worried for this summer. It'll be awkward to live right next to her and not be friendly."

Her parents shared a look. "Well actually, sweetie, your dad has to go on a business trip for a while in about a week, and I was going to go with him. We figured you could stay with Tarin, but…"

She grinned. "That'd be a little awkward under the present circumstances. Actually, this is perfect. A friend of mine asked me to stay with him some time during the summer."

The 'him' raised her parents eyebrows and they bombarded her with questions. Who was this boy? Were they dating? What did his parents do? Had she even asked his parents? Did she expect them to just let her spend all summer at some boys house?

It took some serious persuasive skills, but she finally got them to reluctantly agree, as long as they met him and his parents. Grinning, she thanked them profusely and ran off to write James and explain the situation. After sending her owl off, she had nothing to do but wait for his reply. In the mean time, she was at the window just in time to see Tarin and her parents get home.

As Tarin lugged her trunk towards her house, she happened to glimpse at Renee in the window. For the first time in awhile, her eyes didn't narrow with dislike. She looked at her plaintively, while Renee returned her stare blankly. Finally, she looked away and Tarin went into her house.

The girls didn't interact after that. James wrote back the next morning, saying his parents would love to have her and couldn't wait to meet her parents. Satisfied, Renee's parents agreed to join them for lunch when they dropped Renee off later that week.

The week passed slowly, with Renee staying inside most of the time to avoid running into Tarin. Apparently, Tarin didn't share the same scruples. She was always coming and going, and more often than not, Renee saw Amos Diggory come over when her parents were out. According to rumours around school, they had started dating again just before holidays.

Finally, the end of the week came and it was time to go to the Potter's. They were surprised to find his house was more like an estate with a decent amount of land. They were greeted by Sirius and James at the door, who then guided them to the patio in the back, where Mr. and Ms. Potter were waiting.

His parents were elderly, but seemed perfectly genial and definitely energetic enough to deal with James and Sirius. The two boys were on their absolute best behavior, clearly trying to make a good impression on Renee's parents.

Lunch went smoothly, and soon Renee's parents were leaving, feeling assured their daughter was in good hands. Grinning, Renee closed the door on her parents. "Well, Mr. Potter, Mr. Black, I see you two have finally learned to behave like rational creatures."

Grinning back at her and easily relaxing, they said, "'Course not!"

Mrs. Potter was just finishing picking up from lunch. Seeing the normal mischievous light returning to the boys eyes, she said "Well, kids, go do whatever it is you guys do these days. And, Renee dear, don't let these hooligans bother you too much."

Renee smiled. "Oh, don't worry, Mrs. Potter. I can handle these buffoons."

Smiling fondly at the children, she said, "Well, dear, I wish you luck", and she made her retreat to the kitchen.

The boys came to stand before her, arms crossed. "You can handle us, eh?"

She grinned. "Yes, I can."

James shrugged, giving up. "Eh. You probably can."

But Sirius wouldn't give up that easily. Without a word, he picked her up and threw her in the pool.

She sputtered while the boys laughed. Then she sighed in defeat and said without thinking, "Why do I always end up soaking wet when I'm with you?"

They both colored, remembering the last time they had gone swimming. James, oblivious to their discomfort, said, "Wait, what? Has Sirius thrown you into my pool before?"

Hiding her face while she climbed out of the pool, she answered nonchalantly. "Hm? Oh, no. He just might've pushed me into the lake before." Making an effort to appear unaffected, she grinned at Sirius. "Git."

He acted normal, too. "Hey, watch who you're calling a git, you punk."

He went to ruffle her hair, but seemed to think better of it, clenching his fist at his side instead. James wasn't fooled, though, but he just made a mental note to ask Sirius later and pretended not to notice. "Okay, then. Want to get dried off and unpacked? We can go swimming for real later."

She nodded and followed him into the house and to the room he showed her. "Thanks, James. I'll unpack and be down in a bit."

She unpacked slowly, wanting some time to think. Sirius confused her. She hadn't forgotten about that kiss a couple weeks, but it still confused the hell out of her, too. And his behavior at the pool… Well, it was obvious he hadn't forgotten about it either. But what were they going to do about it?

She thought about her feelings for him. They had been team mates for years, friendly, but not really close. Then that whole Tarin thing had made them really good friends, but definitely only platonic. And then, he had kissed her. And now they were… She didn't know. Obviously, they were still close. She considered him one of her best mates and she knew he thought of her the same way. But maybe he felt something else?

She wasn't very knowledgeable about guys and relationships, most of her knowledge having come from observing Tarin's love life. Looking back, she realized that probably wasn't the best thing to go off of.

She flopped down on the bed, distressed. Then, she decided she was being ridiculous. She didn't even know if Sirius liked her like that. He might've just been embarrassed to remember kissing her. He probably hadn't been completely sober anyway. This was ridiculous. She resolved to actually forget about their kiss. It hadn't meant anything, he'd said so himself, and they were just friends. She was putting way too much thought into it anyway.

Renee went back downstairs and found the boys out by the pool again.

"Ray! Where's your suit?" James demanded.

"Well, Jamesie, I wasn't that by 'later' you meant as soon as I unpacked," she complained. Seeing they already had their trunks on, she laughed. "I'll be right back, let me change."

The next few weeks went by in a blur of fun, swimming, and adventures in the nearby Muggle village. Soon Remus wrote to say he'd be visiting for a week or so. Things slowed down once he was there; his presence was more calming and they couldn't all four fit under James' Invisibility Cloack.

Sirius and Renee ended up hanging out by themselves a lot, through no effort on their part - they were simply both night owls. Renee had decided to keep things platonic and stuck to it adamantly.

One night, they were hanging out by the pool. Staring at the moon light bouncing off the water, they were both reminded of the night they had kissed.

"Sirius?" Renee asked softly.

"Yeah, Ray?" He replied, a smile in his voice. He and Remus had adopted James' nickname for her.

"I know you don't like to talk about it, but are you really over Tarin? You've seemed better lately, but I just want to make sure," Renee said, unsure of how he'd react.

He let out a deep breath. "I really, and truly am. I still don't like to talk about it, like you said, but even that's getting better. I can honestly say it's been at least a couple weeks since I thought about her much at all."

She smiled. "I'm glad, Sirius."

He turned to her. "I want to thank you, Ray." Seeing her confused look, he explained, "I think I'd still be down about it if it weren't for you. And the guys, of course," he tacked on.

She turned to face him, a smile on her face. "I'm just glad I could help, Sirius. I hated seeing you depressed."

He gave her a hug. "I'd say the same thing, but I don't think I've ever seen you even remotely sad."

She laughed and broke their hug. He gave her a small, understanding smile, then pressed. "But really, are you ever sad? I've seen you mad, happy, and exasperated, generally at me, but I don't think I've ever seen you sad."

"Of course I get sad, Sirius. I'm only human," she said with a laugh.

"But when?" He pressed, "When has Renee Gray, one of the happiest people I know, even been sad?"

She was surprised; people generally said she seemed calm, not necessarily happy. "I think I was sad that one time, when I was five and I lost my teddy bear…"

They laughed. When Sirius seemed to be waiting for her to go on, she sighed and complied. "Well, I don't really cry a lot, or well, even get sad, but I cried after Tarin and I fought."

He looked surprised. She continued. "I know it was stupid, because she'd been horrible and I didn't even want to be her friend anymore… But we were best mates, you know? Even though I knew we couldn't be friends any more, it hurt to realize that all those years of friendship were just ruined."

He squeezed her hand. "I guess I'm not the only one she hurt, eh?"

She chuckled weakly. "She's a tricky one, that's for sure."

They settled into a comfortable silence before Renee asked, "So what about you, Sirius? Other than the whole Tarin fiasco, you seem pretty happy yourself."

He seemed shocked. "Do I really? I guess I'm a pretty good actor, then."

She looked at him, concerned. He felt the unasked questions. "Last year was a bad year for me… You know that last summer I moved out of my parents' house?"

She nodded.

"Well, that messed me up pretty bad. It's like you said, I was glad to get out of there, but it was like saying goodbye to my whole childhood."

She smiled at him sadly. "Unfortunately, I know what you mean."

"You know, I don't really regret the whole Tarin thing. Don't get me wrong, it hurt a lot, but it also, well, taught me some things I needed to learn." He grinned, "Besides, we never would've become as good of friends as we are without it."

She grinned back at him. Staring at each other, their grins slowly faded. Sirius leaned towards her hesitantly. She didn't recognize the look in his eyes; if she had, maybe she would've stopped him.

He closed the distance between them; their lips pressed together. His arms went around her, hers were moving on their own towards his hair. By the time she registered what was happening, they were entangle together.

Gasping, she retreated out of his arms. Sirius protested and moved towards her again. She held him off until he stopped trying.

He looked at her, his eyes fathomless. "Why?"

"Why?!" she demanded, "Because, Sirius, we are _just friends_."

"Clearly, we aren't, Renee," he said, his voice uneven. "Because I don't know if you noticed, but we were just kissing. And I liked it. A lot. And judging by your reaction, you did too."

She took a couple of deep breaths and collected her thoughts. "Sirius, I don't want to ruin our friendship. It's rather nice as it is."

He protested. "Who said anything about ruining our friendship?"

She sighed. "Sirius, we can't just snog then go back to being friends like nothing happened. Remember how that worked last time?" She added sarcastically.

He looked surprised, then laughed. Seeing her offended expression, he quickly stopped. "Is that what you think this is? Is that what you think I want?"

Her hurt had given over to confusion. He slowly drew close to her, his palms out in surrender. "Renee Gray. You silly child. I don't want to just snog you and go back to life as normal. I want to snog you again and again. I want you to be my girlfriend."

Renee sat down on one of the pool chairs. "Oh. Oh. And, er, when did you reach this conclusion?"

Grinning, he sat down beside her. "Oh, I think it's been coming on for awhile, but it really hit home the first day you came to James'. The sly dog, he knew something was up and so he asked me about it. Somewhere between telling me I was a jackass and threatening to kill me, he asked 'What're you going to do about it?' Then I realized what I wanted to do about it. Which is pretty much when I decided that I rather liked you a lot."

Renee didn't know what to say. She couldn't even identify her feelings. It felt like there was a whirlwind inside of her. "Oh."

Sirius grinned, amazingly nonchalant. "Say something else, Ray."

She wasn't really capable of thinking much at the moment, so coherent words seemed out of the question. "What am I supposed to say, Sirius?"

Suddenly, he was right in front of her, no longer seeming very nonchalant. "I want you to say yes. I want you to say you want to be my girlfriend."

Her emotions swirled around her violently. The overwhelming one, the one that nearly blocked out the others, was happiness, which really only left her with one answer.

"Well, okay then, Sirius."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Okay, so I think I've changed a lot since I wrote this piece originally. Because the notes I have on my paper are more like 'Awh'. And I'm more like 'Gross, how sickly sweet and unrealistic.' I think more life experience has changed my views. I would rewrite this to reflect what I actually think would happen now, but I am trying to preserve my original story, as the me of two years ago wanted it written. So, tell past me what you think of my first piece of uber fluff. **

**P.S. - Virtual kudos to anyone who recognizes the TINY Pride and Prejudice (2005 movie version) reference towards the beginning of this chapter.**


	12. Back to Reality

Chapter 12 - Back to Reality

The summer dragged after that. The next couple of days were amazing, but then Renee's parents were back and she had to go home. The rest of the summer passed with frequent letters, occasional short visits, and impatience for school to start again. By the time September came around, the couple were actually dying to get to school to spend time together.

When Renee and her parents arrived at the station, she quickly scanned the crowded platform for Sirius and the Potter's. She soon spotted them and rushed over, he parents following her more calmly. She tackle-hugged Sirius. Breaking off his conversation with James' parents, he kissed her on the head. "Hey, Ray."

She grinned at him, then turned to make the proper greetings to Mr. and Mrs. Potter, who had knowing looks in their eyes. Renee's parents joined them and added their greetings to the mix.

After a few minutes, the kids had to board the train. Saying their goodbyes, they hauled their luggage into the normal Marauder compartment. Remus and Peter were already there. They exchanged the typical stories and embellished adventures of the summer. All the while, Sirius and Renee were holding hands and sharing sweet looks. They took part in the conversation, but mostly just enjoyed being back in each other's company with their friends surrounding them.

Soon, though, Remus stood up. "Well, come on James, we've got the meeting to go to."

Renee looked up in surprise. "James, why are you going to the Prefect's meeting?"

He beamed. "Didn't Sirius tell you? I made Head Boy!"

She couldn't help it, she laughed. "You? Is Dumbledore off his rocker?"

"I don't know why everyone reacts like that," James pouted. "I am going to be a fantastic Head Boy, thank you very much."

"Oh Merlin, Lily's going to love this!" Renee crowed, laughing harder.

He stuck his tongue out at her. "You better watch yourself, punk. I could give you detention for a month!"

The whole cabin burst out laughing. James huffed and stomped out the door. Still laughing, Remus followed him out of the compartment. Renee, Sirius, and Peter talked lightly for awhile before Peter left to find the trolley.

Sirius and Renee didn't waste much time. In a minute they had caught each other up from their last letters. In another minute, they were snogging. This carried on for a few minutes, with the occasional break for air, until the compartment door slid open to reveal a shocked Lily and a sullen James.

Renee flushed, but said evenly, "Hey, guys. How's patrol going?"

Lily was too busy sputtering to answer, but James did. "It's great. Or it would be if Evans would let me put the Slytherins in their place."

Lily was even too distracted to set him straight. "Renee, we need to talk. Now."

She sighed. She knew this was coming, she was just hoping it would've come later. "All right, let's go find Mary and Alice, then we'll talk."

Giving Sirius a short peck, she followed Lily down the train to the compartment that the other girls had grabbed.

Mary and Alice smiled as they came in. "Hey, Renee. How've you been?"

"Pretty good, and yourselves?" She replied easily.

Lily cut their pleasantries short. "Yeah, yeah, whatever. Girls, I just walked in on Renee and Sirius Black snogging like there's no tomorrow."

They turned to Renee in shock, silently demanding an explanation. She squirmed. "Yeah, well, we're kind of dating…"

The compartment erupted with noise, but Lily made herself heard. "Woah, back up. Since when? How'd this come about?"

"Yeah," Mary said petulantly, "We barely head from you all summer, then we get back and you're dating Sirius Black?"

Renee took a deep breath before launching into the tale. When she was finished, the girls were speechless.

"Wow," Alice finally said, "You and Sirius. Who would've thought?"

"I know," Renee admitted. Then she grinned. "Now if you guys are quite finished with your interrogation, I'd like to go back to said boyfriend."

They grudgingly let her go, though promising they'd have more questions later. On her way back through the train, she saw Tarin and some random boy snogging madly in a compartment. Having successfully avoided Tarin all summer, she had expected to feel sad or angry upon seeing her former best mate. She was surprised, therefore, when she was able to see her without any feeling at all. Not bothering to think about her reaction, she continued to the Marauder's compartment, where the rest of the trip passed uneventfully.

When they stopped in Hogsmeade, all the seventh years looked around sadly, knowing this would be the last year they would be there as students. The carriage ride to the castle was lively, everyone trying to shake off the somber mood that threatened. The Welcome Feast was as delicious as ever. Renee and Sirius sat next to each other, joining in the jokes of their friends. Lily was chastising for James for all the future abuse of power she knew he would commit, when Dumbledore stood up and the room quieted.

"Welcome, welcome students. Welcome to our new students and welcome to the students who will be leaving us this year. And to all the students in between!"

The students cheered. He waited for them to quiet again before continuing. "I trust you all have been sufficiently stuffed and had a chance to catch up with your friends." He paused. "As I'm sure you are all aware, these are dangerous times. Will all that's going on in the world around us, it can be easy to give in to your fear and suspicion, easy to shut oneself off. But I urge you, do not succumb to this fear. Live your life. Play with your friends, cherish your loved ones, enjoy your youth. As you can clearly see in me, it doesn't last forever." He smiled, lightening the mood instantly. "But enough seriousness!"

Here, Sirius let out a whoop. Dumbledore inclined his head in their direction. "Mr. Black is right. Entirely too heavy of thoughts for the start of term. Off to bed, kiddies!"

Leaving the Great Hall, James said, "Well, that was different."

They were about to agree with him when Lily yelled, "Oi! Potter, come help with the first years!"

They laughed as he perked up and obediently rushed over to help. They pushed their way through the confused first years and trooped up to Gryffindor Tower.

Passing another group of first years, Renee shook he head. "Seems like forever since we were that young, doesn't it?"

Remus seemed in agreement, but Sirius scoffed. "What are you on about? We're still just that young!"

She laughed. "Maybe you are, but the rest of us have matured a bit, actually."

He grinned, a mischievous shine in his eyes. "Immature, am I?"

She stepped back, wary of the shine. "Yes… Sirius, what are you up to?"

He pounced, tickling her mercilessly. Laughing until she couldn't breathe, she begged him to stop. He obliged, but only because he was busy kissing her instead. The others rolled their eyes and continued talking until James and Lily joined them. James groaned. "Are you two at it again?"

They broke apart, grinning. Still holding Sirius' hand, Renee teased, "Awh, don't be mad at us just because Lily won't let you snog her."

James blushed and Lily growled. "Ew, Renee, don't even go there."

James looked put out, and Renee felt bad. Sirius saved her by joking, "Oh please, Ray, everyone's jealous of our love life, not just James."

Everyone laughed and profusely denied it. Soon, it was time for bed and they separated for their dormitories. Lily repaid Renee for embarrassing her by squeezing every detail of her summer with Sirius out of her and the girls ended up staying awake for a good couple of hours.

The next morning, Renee waited behind for the Marauders while the girls went down to breakfast. When the boys finally emerged, they traipsed down to the Great Hall. Breakfast was a quiet affair, everyone a little groggy on their first morning back at school. McGonagall soon came down the table passing out timetables.

She gave their group a stern look. "I hope now that you all are seventh years you will behave and won't pull any shenanigans."

"Minnie," Sirius said in affected surprise, "Us? Shenanigans? Never!" Then he grinned. "Oh, Minnie, we'll never learn to behave."

She pursed her lips. "Mr. Potter. As Head Boy, I expect you to keep your friends in line."

He saluted in mock obedience. "But of course, Professor."

With a final firm look, she swept down the table. They burst out laughing.

"Have I ever mentioned that Minnie's secretly in love with me?" Sirius asked, once they'd quieted a bit.

Laughing again, James joked, "Yeah and I'm a flobberworm."

Lily walked up just then. "That might be the truest thing you've ever said, Potter."

His eyes lightened. "Ah, Lily darling, how nice of you to join us."

Lily rolled her eyes. "Let's go, Potter. We need to discuss the Prefect patrols."

"My lady beckons!" He declared before following her out of the Great Hall.

They laughed as he left, then soon followed, going to their classes. Sirius, Renee, Alice, and Remus headed to the dungeons for Potions. Seeing as they were early for once, Sirius and Renee separated from the others and found an empty corridor nearby.

Renee smiled at him. "Why does it feel like we haven't been alone in ages?"

He took her in his arms. "I don't know, maybe because we haven't?"

She kissed him, savoring the feeling. He deepened the kiss, his arms tightening around her.

A giggle from down the corridor interrupted them.

"I see we're interrupting," Tarin said, her hand clutching the bloke's beside her.

The bloke, who Renee didn't recognize, said, "Come on, Tarin, let's go somewhere else."

Tarin dimpled at him. "Wait a second."

She walked closer to them. "So, the rumours are true then? You two really are shagging?"

Sirius answered her stiffly. "We're dating, if that's what you mean."

She giggled. "Oh yes, I should've realized, with Renee and all… My ex-boyfriend and my ex-best mate. I think it's cute."

The look in her eyes and the sarcasm in her voice said otherwise. She didn't think it was cute at all.

Renee bristled. "Are you cheating on this one too?"

Tarin her nice mask, smiling icily. "Of course not. He can keep up with me, for once."

Giggling, she lead her newest boy toy down the corridor, like a dog and its master. Before she turned the corner, she threw a vicious smile over her shoulder and said bitingly, "Hey Nay-Nay, rebound much?"

Renee drew her wand dying to make her eat her words, but Sirius stopped her. She dropped her arm and look at him, surprised.

He answered her unasked question. "She's not even worth it, Ray. Don't waste your breath."

She sighed. "You're right, of course."

She inspected him closely; his face was totally relaxed. "You seem awfully calm about this. I figured you'd be upset to see her, especially since she was with another bloke."

He laughed. "Oh, Ray, she doesn't bother me anymore. She's just a mistake I made."

"What's your secret?" She asked.

He kissed the top of her head. "I have better things to think about."

She smiled at him, but was still upset by their confrontation. They returned to the classroom and claimed a table in the back. All through the lesson, Renee stared at the back of Tarin's head and thought about their fight.

She was quiet for the rest of the day, just blindly following Sirius from class to class and not participating in her friends conversations. After dinner, everyone was in the Common Room, already working on homework. Sirius looked up from his essay to see Renee staring out the window again. He sighed and went over to her. "Hey, Ray, want to go for a walk with me?"

She smiled at him, coming out of her reverie. "Sure, Sirius. See you around guys."

They ended up by the lake.

"We seem to keep coming back here, don't we?" Sirius said, shaking her out of her thoughts.

"Hm? Oh, yeah, I guess so." She replied.

They sat down. "Ray?" Sirius asked tentatively, "What've you been thinking about?"

She feigned ignorance. "What do you mean, Sirius? I haven't been thinking of anything in particular."

"Don't give me that, Ray. You've been acting weird all day."

She sighed. "I've just been thinking about what Tarin said," she admitted.

"Renee," he said fiercely, "You can't honestly think you're just a rebound?!"

She smiled at him and grabbed his had. "Of course not. I'm not stupid."

He sighed and wrapped his arms around her as they laid down and looked at the stars. "Then what did she say that's bothering you?"

She relaxed into his arms. "Nothing in particular, I guess… I just can't believe she was that mean. I mean, yeah, we aren't friends anymore, but I didn't expect her to be so hostile. The few times I saw her this summer, we just kind of ignored each other. But today… She really seemed to hate me."

"I doubt she hates you, Ray. I think she's just having issues with the fact that we're together," Sirius said soothingly.

"Hm. I guess that makes sense," she admitted.

They both got lost in their own thoughts for awhile, before Sirius interrupted the silence. "I think you should forgive her and be friends again."

She propped herself up on her elbows, looking at him in surprise. "You do?"

"I do," he said, sitting up. "It makes you said, not being friends with her."

"But she's been so awful…"

"She has, but that was last year. I think you can put it behind you. I know I have. Just let it go. You two can be friends again and there won't be any more ugly scenes like this morning."

She had to admit, it sounded appealing to just go back to how things used to be. "It sounds nice, but I don't know if it's possible; things are so weird between us."

"Well, it'll be different," he admitted, "But wouldn't it be nice to just be friends again?"

She couldn't help it, the idea was just too appealing. "It would be nice. I think I'll try it. When did you get so smart, Sirius? I thought I was the one always giving you advice."

He laughed. "Eventually, some of it had to rub off on me, I guess."

She laughed and they sat by the lake until clouds covered the moon.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: GUYS! I am so sorry I took like two months to upload this. It wasn't typed and I was lazy and school has been absolutely NUTS. This is the first weekend I've had to type this super long chapter. I'm really sorry, I swore this wouldn't happen. Oh well, not much I can do now but upload this. I'm going to type the next chapter up today and upload it this weekend. Then it's done!**

**Kind of cheesy ending. I tried to fix that a bit with the last couple lines. But yeah, this is the last real chapter. The next one is just an epilogue of sorts, then it's over. Oh and y'all get to find out the reason for the title. Anyway, as always, please please review!**

**-Nikky  
><strong>


	13. Lucky

Chapter 13 - Lucky

She found him by the lake, as she'd know she would. It had become their spot, even more than the other Marauder's. It just always attracted them, after everyone else had gone to bed. "Hey Sirius."

He turned from looking at the starts to smile at her. "Hey Ray."

Plopping down beside him under the tree, they both looked up at the sky again. "James noticed you weren't there when the party ended. He got rather upset, going on about how you didn't even care that he'd thrown the ultimate end of year party."

He grinned. "No doubt Lily was able to distract him."

Her grin matched his. Their friends hadn't been going out very long and they couldn't keep their hands off each other. James switched between looking like he couldn't believe his luck and telling everyone he'd always known it would happen.

"You know, I've been thinking, Ray…" Sirius said slowly.

"Alert the clergy! The apocalypse is coming!" Renee quipped.

He pouted. "I'm trying to be serious here, Renee."

She couldn't even help snickering at that, really. He glared at her until she stopped, a grin still on her face.

"_Anyway_," he said exasperatedly, "As I was _trying_ to say before I was so rudely interrupted; I've been thinking, about the future."

Finally being serious, Renee said, "I know. I have too. I think everyone is, honestly."

He nodded sadly. "Probably. But more specifically, I've been thinking about our future."

Her heart rate picked up in an unpleasant way. "Sirius," she said, uncertainty in her voice.

His eyes widened. "Oh, Merlin, no, not like that. Definitely not. Would you relax?"

She obliged, reclining so they were both leaning against the tree, looking at the lake and the moon. His arms circled around her and she let his presence calm her down again.

"No, my thoughts were much more pleasantly occupied," he continued, "I was thinking about my whole living situation. Now that we're out of school, it's about time I moved out of James'. It'll be pretty busy there, what with his parents being in the Order and all. Plus, I'm sure Lily will be visiting him all the time. Honestly, they'll probably get married and move out any day now. Anyway, not the point here. You know that when my Uncle Alfred died he left me a decent amount of money. I was thinking I'd use that to rent myself a flat in London somewhere. It probably wouldn't be very big, but it needs to be fairly close to Diagon Alley, the Ministry, and all that. Anyway, I guess what I'm trying to get at, is that I'd like you to move in with me."

She wasn't as surprised as he'd thought she would be; she'd sensed that was where the conversation was heading, once she actually let him start it. Plus, she'd more or less been living in his dormitory for awhile now, which had lead to some interesting events. She thought about it silently for a few minutes. Only when she she noticed his fingers drumming against his arms did she twist around and see his anxious expression. She smiled.

"Sirius, you aren't actually nervous that I'll say no, are you?" Seeing him relax, she turned back around to lay down. "Of course I'm not going to say no, you dunderhead. I'm just thinking about what my parents will say, how it'll affect my Auror training, and how much James will want to kill us."

She knew without looking that he was grinning as he replied. "James can stuff himself for all I care; you're my girlfriend, not his."

She laughed. "It's not me I'm worried about. I've always wondered about you two, though. I mean, you are awfully close."

She could feel him laughing as he threatened her. "Don't make me throw you in the lake again!"

"Yeah, because that worked out so well last time," she said with a grin.

He tilted her chin so he could kiss her. "I agree, it worked wonderfully."

She kissed him back, then sighed and laid back down. "But really, Sirius, my parents will freak. And with Auror training, my schedule's going to be all crazy anyway."

He shrugged. "We'll work it out with your parents. I mean, they can't be too surprised; we've been dating nearly a year now and you're of age and will be getting a job and moving out soon anyway. Plus, they love me, and I'm amazing in bed."

She laughed. "No, silly, that's why _I_ love you, not them." Getting serious again, though, she went on. "I guess you're right though. I'd be moving out soon anyway."

"Nice to know that's the only thing keeping you around," he said.

She elbowed. "Shut up. You know that's not true. It's just an added benefit. But what about my training? I probably won't even be home much at first."

He shrugged again. "It's not terribly important. Just knowing you'll be coming back to me, at our very own home, is enough."

She smiled; she did like the picture he was painting.

"All right," she said, sleepily snuggling deeper into his chest, "I suppose everything will work out. I guess the answer is 'Yes, Sirius, I'd love to move in with you.' Merlin knows why."

His arms squeezed around her, no words necessary to convey how glad he was.

A while later, they were both lost in their own thoughts, a comfortable silence between them. Renee finally broke the silence. "You know what I just realized? At least one other person won't be happy about me moving in with you."

"Hm?" Sirius question sleepily, "Who?"

"Tarin." Renee said matter of factly. The two had finally patched up their friendship, though weren't very close anymore. They could hold small conversations on most topics but blokes, but they never hung out anymore.

That actually woke Sirius up. "I hardly think she should get a say in this."

Renee laughed and said teasingly, "I don't know; I mean, she pretty much got us together. In a very roundabout way."

He had gotten distracted. "Hm? Oh, nonsense. It was the fact that you throw your head back when you laugh."

And indeed, she did so just then. "Sirius, what crazy potion are you on? That makes no sense."

"Sure it does," he insisted, "Last year, when we were swimming, the moon made you look all shiny, and you looked all happy and stuff, so I couldn't help but kiss you. Which is what started it all, really."

She twisted and kissed him. "That is without a doubt the cutest thing I've ever heard."

Seeing him blush, she kissed him again and said firmly, "I love it. And you."

She twisted back around and snuggled back into his chest, finally getting tired. Sirius didn't say anything, just held her closer and smiled.

Awhile later, Sirius broke the silence. "Hey Ray, I'm not sure if I mentioned this or not, but I only actually dated eleven girls before you and Tarin."

When she didn't reply, he carefully peered down at her. Her eyes were closed and she was breathing deeply. His eyes crinkled in a smile. Kissing her forehead, he settled back more comfortably against the tree.

"Well, I think thirteen is my lucky number," he murmured softly before falling asleep, too.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Wow. I write fluffy endings. Ahem. Anyway. This story is done. Y'all might not realize, but this has been nearly a three year process. I tended to write nothing for very long periods of time, then write it all. For example, I had the first twelve chapters written in February of 2011 (most of which was written in three snow days), then I didn't write this final chapter until January of 2012. And then it took me about ten months to get the entire thing typed and posted. **

**Anyway, thank you for sticking with me through the whole thing, if you did. **

**As far as new writing goes, there probably won't be much for awhile. I have a couple one-shot ideas from this and an idea for a drabble series (I've never done that before so it could be interesting), so let me know if you'd be interested.**

**Anyway, again, thanks. I really appreciate any notice this story has gotten. It means a lot to me. I probably won't see y'all again for a very long time, if ever (I don't have much time to spare these days), so thanks for sticking it out for this one last story.**

**-Nikky  
><strong>


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